'We should decide': Native American speakers urge Copley-Fairlawn to change Indians mascot

For a few minutes last week, Copley-Fairlawn City Schools became the focus of the decades-long effort to change mascots bearing a Native American name or likeness.

The movement eventually led to Cleveland's Major League Baseball team changing its name to the Guardians in November 2021. Other professional, college and high school teams have done the same.

On Jan. 9, two speakers at the board of education meeting told the board that Copley's Indians mascot is offensive to many Native Americans and encouraged them to make a change. The idea has been discussed in the wider community for years and was the recent subject of an online survey that showed wide support for the mascot name.

Constance Becker, a 2022 Copley High School graduate and Native American, said she felt compelled to speak about the issue.

"I am uniquely suited to speak on this as a Copley graduate," she said. "Native American mascots do nothing but contribute to … stereotypes."

80 Ohio school districts still use Native American nickname

Philip Yenyo, executive director for the American Indian Movement of Ohio, spoke for his nephew, 2004 Copley graduate Chris Headworth, who now lives in Kansas City.

"I would like to share events that stood out from my time," Yenyo read from Headworth's prepared comments.

Headworth, he said, experienced offensive actions related to his Native American heritage while he was a student in the district. Examples included a crude tepee constructed at a sports event and an occasion when cheerleaders wore attire intended to be Native American without appreciating or understanding its significance.

"I [Headworth] told them it was rude and stereotyping…," Yenyo read to the board.

Copley is one of about 80 districts in the state that continues to use Native American mascots and themes, Yenyo said.

"The state of Ohio has the most Indian mascots and nicknames of any state in the country," he said.

Changes in area districts

Locally, Northwest Local School District shares the Indians nickname with Copley. Doylestown-based Chippewa Local School District bears the name of the Native American tribe and uses the nickname Chipps. Walsh Jesuit High School continues to use the Warriors name but in April changed its logo to a sword-bearing, medieval-type figure.

Yenyo said he's been advocating mascot changes since the early 1990s and was involved in discussions with Guardians representatives before the team's name change.

"I personally was in the talks with Mr. [Larry] Dolan," the owner of the Guardians, he said.

While Yenyo has had some success in helping convince school districts to change their mascots, like in Fairview and Berea, he said some districts decline to do so even after extensive discussions.

Survey says: Wide support remains for Copley mascot

Amy Luedy, a Copley Township resident who attended the meeting, said she appreciated the comments from Yenyo and Becker.

But Luedy said wide support for the Copley mascot remains in the district, according to a recent survey she conducted online. The survey was expanded at one point to include Native Americans outside the district.

Of the 477 responses included in the survey, 73% expressed support for the mascot.

"People who supported the mascot really, truly thought it was an honor," Luedy said.

'Talk of changing our name did not last long'

The same is true for Northwest Local Schools, which also has a Native American nickname.

In an email Thursday, Northwest Superintendent Shawn Braman said the district is committed to the mascot name, viewing the Indians moniker with pride and respect. Districtwide, it uses an "N" instead of Native American imagery, he said.

The superintendent said there has been no recent discussion on any change. The district includes Clinton Village in Summit County and Canal Fulton Franklin Township and Lawrence Township in Stark County.

"I know once the Guardians changed their name, there was some talk whether the district should consider a change," he said in the email. "The community views our mascot name as one of great respect and enormous pride. The talk of changing our name did not last long."

'We should decide'

Although the Indians name enjoys wide support in both districts and is viewed with respect from much of the community, Becker and Yenyo said that's not a perspective shared by many Native Americans.

"We do not want to be represented this way," she said. "We should decide how we want to be seen."

After the meeting, Becker and Yenyo held an informal conversation with board members Beth Hertz, Steven Doss and Paula Lynn about the issue.

"What people in the community will say to us is, 'Is there a way to keep it?'" Lynn told Becker and Yenyo.

Becker said other, more appropriate ways exist to appreciate and acknowledge the history of area natives. Keeping the nickname, however, was not one of them, she said.

'Our position has not changed'

In an email seeking comment after the board meeting, Copley assistant superintendent Brian Williams referred to a July 20 article in the Akron Beacon Journal that covered the mascot issue.

More: Answers from schools with Native American nicknames differ years after Guardians were born

In it, Williams cited a diversity, equity and inclusion committee that had considered the issue three years prior but did not make a recommendation to the board of education.

"Our position has not changed, and there are no plans to make any changes in the near future," Williams said in the Thursday email.

'I hope that they do reach out'

Yenyo, who has spent more than three decades advocating for mascot name and logo changes, said speaking with the three board members was worthwhile.

"We got our foot in the door," he said. "They are going to go back and make it a discussion among themselves."

Yenyo said Thursday in a phone interview that he's hoping the board contacts him for follow-up discussions.

"I sometimes give it a month and try to make contact again," he said. "I hope that they do reach out."

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Native Americans speak out against Copley-Fairlawn Indians mascot