Minooka native and Actor Nick Offerman, best known for his role as Ron Swanson on the NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation” is calling for change to the Minooka Community High School mascot.
The call came via Tweet on Saturday when Offerman shared a petition to change the name of the Minooka Indians. As of Tuesday morning, 7,354 people had signed the online petition.
Before sharing the petition, Offerman had expressed an understanding to resisting change, but asked, “But is it not the right thing to do if society is to be decent to all people?”
Minooka, Illinois!
— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) June 13, 2020
Here’s your chance to get on the scoreboard of decency. Sign here to change the school mascot from the “Indian” to something that is not denigrating indigenous folk. It’s dumb and shameful to resist this by now, unless you enjoy racism.https://t.co/rDgeKRUozY pic.twitter.com/0HAiE17R0f
“If the NFL and NASCAR can make course corrections away from racism, can’t our school system? Step up.” Offerman said Saturday.
The petition calls the mascot “dehumanizing, and many Native Americans have expressed their opposition to this harmful practice.”
Native American stereotyping in sports has been prevalent for generations. Most recently, the Cleveland Indians dismissed their Chief Wahoo logo, worn for the last time on October 8th, 2018. It’s since changed to a block “C”.
