LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) has awarded $413,439 in grants to four Michigan school districts in an effort to get rid of what they say is racist imagery of
indigenous people.

The schools getting the money are the Lansing School District, Hartford Public Schools, Saranac Community Schools and the Chippewa Hills School District.

MORE NEWS: Illegal Alien With Michigan Commercial Drivers License Picked Up By ICE

The priority for the money will be for logo and mascot rebranding projects with the grant
money used to do things like change school uniforms, re-paint gym floors and other
rebranding activities.

Jamie Stuck, NAHF Chairperson said in their press release, “If we fund the
decommissioning of racist mascot imagery now, we will have more money in the future
for proactive program and curriculum programming.”

The Lansing School District will rebrand their current mascot at the JW Sexton High
School from the “Big Reds” to a new “culturally appropriate” mascot and logo. Hartford
Public Schools will rebrand the “Indians” mascot to the “Huskies.” Saranac Community
Schools will rebrand to “Red Hawks” from the “Redskins.”

Chippewa Hills will be still be the Warriors but will be changing their artwork from the
depiction of a Native American person to an image of a Knight which is already currently
on their website.

When Michigan News Source asked about changing the name of the school,
Superintendent Bob Grover responded, “Chippewa Hills remains as it relates to
geography as well. Warriors remains as we have developed a full rebranding using a
knight image instead of anything Native American related.