ABSTRACT
In the fall of 2001, Teresa Miller chose as one her fi rst acts as Principal of Manhattan (Kansas) High S chool to propose ending t he institution’s us e of American Indian imagery. Miller issued her proposal in response to the April 2001 statement of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights condemning Native American mascots and a petition from indigenous students from the local university in the hopes of “educating each student to be a contributing citizen in a changing, diverse society.” A heated public debate followed her proposal, revealing not only strong community support for retaining “the Indians” but also the pervasive resentment of multicultural pedagogies. While intentionality, tradition, and honor fi gured prominently in the debate, many boosters invoked education to advance t heir p ositions. L ocal resident C. Michael Smith (2001) suggested that the school district should seize upon the “honored s chool symbol and tradi tion as a t eachable moment about people who were indigenous to North America.” Retaining the mascot, he continued, would off er valuable lessons to “our students about how we respect and honor all elements of a diverse society, in order to progress together.” Smith’s commentary, an exemplary instance of neoconservative recodings of progressive movements for racial justice, is not about empowerment or enlightenment, but a hollow defense of the status quo. In fact, his editorial reveals something more as well: it directs attention to the increasingly complex articulations of race and pedagogy.
