The NUifc statement on Racist Action of Educator at john W. North High school in Riverside, CA

The National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) and the Resurgence Practitioner Network (RPN), a national collective of leading Indigenous schools, condemn the blatantly racist representation of American Indian culture in a mathematics class at John W. North High School in Riverside, CA. We also praise the courage displayed by the Native student who filmed this display of ignorance and cultural antipathy. This student knew it was wrong and hurtful, and wanted to ensure that the world could see it. 

Some may try and dismiss this as an isolated incident but for Native peoples, this is a normal occurrence. As of 2020, there are 1232 high schools across the United States that still have team names and mascots that reference terms for American Indians such as “Indians,” “Warriors,” “Chiefs,” and “Braves.” 45 of the schools still use the name: “Redsk*ns.” Prominent professional and college sports teams still use these monikers. The impact of these practices is seen in the video, where this non-Native teacher felt empowered to represent Native culture however she wanted. 

These depictions actively cause harm to Native youth. Decades of research overwhelmingly showed that these mascots and depictions directly correlated with greater rates of mental health conditions for Native youth.  As a result, in 2005, the American Psychological Association (APA) called for the, “immediate retirement of all American Indian mascots, symbols, images and personalities.”

While we commend the district for suspending this teacher and investigating this incident, they must do more to ensure that not only does this type of abuse never happen again but that Indigenous students are actually educated about their own peoples’ histories and culture.

As leaders of the Native communities in which we live, as well as Native educators, we demand that the Riverside Unified School District – and the state of California – immediately institute Indigenous cultural competency courses and curricula at both the educator and administrative levels.