A small sea of purple and red gathered at Kahok Stadium on Sunday afternoon — but not for a football game.
Metro East residents rallied against HB 1237, an Illinois bill that could force Collinsville and at least 10 other local schools to change their Native logos, mascots and names. The event was hosted by three of the affected districts, whose sports teams compete as the Collinsville Kahoks, Mascoutah Indians and Granite City Warriors.
Proponents of the bill argue that Native American mascots, imagery and names can be harmful, racist and offensive. Local opponents say their mascots show the opposite.
“Our mascot wasn't created out of mockery,” said Eric Denny, a Collinsville senior. “It was chosen out of admiration.”
The bill, introduced by Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, passed the Illinois House of Representatives largely along party lines earlier this month. All Metro East representatives — Amy Elik, R-Godfrey; David Friess, R-Red Bud; Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea; Charlie Meier, R-Okawville; Kevin Schmidt, R-Millstadt, and Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville — voted against it.
West introduced similar legislation that would bar public schools from using mascots that are deemed to be discriminatory of people with disabilities. The Freeburg Midgets would be the only school forced to change under this legislation.
The twin legislative proposals now are in the state Senate, where they await committee assignment.
What the bill says
If passed by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, schools would be required to change:
- Names of federally recognized tribes and historical Native American people.
- Mascots depicting Native Americans.
- Imagery associated with Native American people, such as feathered headdresses, tomahawks and arrowheads.
- Terms like Braves, Chiefs, Tribe, Indians “or any synonymous term, logo or mascot depicting Native Americans.”
Schools can continue using uniforms or other materials purchased before the legislation’s effective date that feature the name, logo or mascot until September 2030 so long as they don’t acquire any more of such materials. They must also have chosen a new name, logo or mascot by July 1, 2026.
There is an exception under which schools that use the name of a federally recognized tribe can continue to do so with permission of the tribe.
Respect, honor and cost at heart of Native mascot debate
At the center of the debate is whether Native American mascots are a source of honor or of disrespect.
“The only people that are disrespecting the Indians are the people that are pushing for this bill to go through,” said Judith Ham, who graduated from Collinsville in 1959.
Staff and board members from Gichigaminn Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston, Illinois, worked with state lawmakers on the legislation. Executive Director Kim Vigue, a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and descendant of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, said the harm from schools using Native imagery and names can be widespread.
“The use of symbols and mascots representing Indigenous people in schools negatively impacts the educational experience for all students, especially students unfamiliar with Indigenous cultures,” Vigue said in a statement.
“The harmful images not only normalize harmful behavior and spread misconceptions, but they also create a hostile learning environment for Indigenous students who are subject to these stereotypes, negatively impacting Native youth’s self-esteem and mental health.”
Scott Battas, Mascoutah’s athletic director, said he understands such concerns. At the same time, Battas and Granite City High School senior Ivette Rios contend the mascots are a way to honor the area’s rich Indigenous history.
“I believe it represents and shows respect and appreciation for the people who inhabited our homes before us,” said Rios, who is the school’s student body president.
Critics of the bill at the weekend rally also worried about the cost school districts would absorb if it is signed into law, given the bill does not include an appropriation to help schools make the required changes.
David Deets, the superintendent of Mascoutah, estimated required changes would cost the district between $1.5 million and $2 million. For Collinsville, the tab would be roughly $2 million, Superintendent Brad Skertich said, and Granite City Superintendent Don Harris said changes would cost his district at least $500,000 and likely more.
“It will be your tax dollars that will go to fix something that you hold dear,” said Annie Frey, a St. Louis talk radio host who helped organize the rally.
State Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, said on Sunday that she would plan to vote against the bill if it makes it out of committee.
“I think that these kinds of decisions should be left to local control, and our local districts and people who live in the local area should have the opportunity to vote on that,” Harriss said. “The state needs to stop coming in and telling locals how to do their business and passing unfunded mandates.”
Exceptions with tribal approval
Under the bill, schools that continue to use the name of a federally recognized tribe and corresponding logo and mascot with the tribe’s permission would have to partner with the tribe to create policies that prohibit slurs, stereotypes and other offensive portrayals.
The bill also mandates that schools that use the name of a federally recognized tribe get permission of the tribe to continue to do so and use an agreed-upon logo and mascot.
Vigue said the only way for schools to ensure their portrayal of Native people and imagery is not disrespectful is to collaborate with corresponding Tribal Nations to make new images and representations.
Without such collaboration, schools run the risk of perpetuating the stereotypes.
“The continued defense of and use of harmful imagery also limits the opportunity for Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities to accurately and authentically share their culture and contributions in schools and with the public,” Vigue said.
As the bill is currently written, not all schools that use Native names, imagery and mascots have the opportunity to continue their use, Skertich said. That’s because in order to keep them, schools must collaborate with the corresponding federally recognized tribe.
The Collinsville Kahoks, Granite City Warriors and Mascoutah Indians are not named after federally recognized tribes. Currently, there are only a handful of schools across the state that are, Skertich said.
Collinsville athletes and coaches created their mascot, the Kahoks, more than 100 years ago. They coined the term to signify the Native Americans who built nearby Cahokia Mounds, an epicenter of local Indigenous culture.
Skertich hopes state lawmakers amend the bill before it hits the Senate floor.
“If they’re going to let it come out of committee, let’s amend it so that all districts with a Native American mascot have the ability to partner with a federally recognized tribe,” Skertich said.
