The Forest Hills School board met virtually Tuesday night to talk about retiring the long-debated Redskins name, amid growing pressure to remove racially-insensitive imagery across the country.
THE FUTURE OF ANDERSON HIGHSCHOOL'S MASCOT RAGES ON.
THEFOREST HILL SCHOOL BOARD METVIRTUALLY TONIGHT TO TALKABOUT RETIRING THELONG-DEBATED REDSKINSNAME."THE DEBATE COMES AMIDGROWING PRESSURE TO REMOVERACIALLY-INSENSITIVE IMAGERYACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WCPO 9NEWS REPORTER KRISTEN SWILLEYCOVERED THIS DEBATE IN 2018AND HAS THE LATEST FROMTONIGHT'S MEETING.FROM THOSE WHO WROTE IN TOTHE FOREST HILLS SCHOOL BOARDMEMBERS THEMSELVES, IT WASCLEAR THIS ISSUE IS STRIKING ANERVE.
BUT, IT'S NOT YET CLEARIF THE NAME WILL STAY OR GO."In order to empathize withsomeone's experience, you mustbe willing to believe them asthey see it and not how youimagine their experience tobe." FOR NEARLY TWO HOURS,SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS SHAREDTHEIR CONCERNS AND THOSE OFTHE PUBLIC ABOUT AN ISSUE THATHAS DIVIDED THE DISTRICT FORYEARS."How can we tell a group ofpeople of a different culturethat something is notoffensive when they deem itso?" "Focusing on thisdiscussion now isdisappointing to me.
I do notbelieve it is once again timeto discuss the Redskins issue."THIS FIGHT IS NOTHING NEW TOJHERI NERI AND GUY JONES.
THEYWERE HERE WHEN THE BOARDULTIMATELY DECIDED NOT TO MAKEA FINAL DECISION ON THE MASCOTIN 2018.
BOTH SAY THIS TIMEFEELS DIFFERENT.
"I thinkI'm hearing a lot of emotionaltestimony from board members.I think that it's veryencouraging." THEY THINKRECENT CALLS TO REMOVE IMAGERYAND CHANGE OFFENSIVE NAMESHELPED PROMPT THIS DISCUSSION,INCLUDING A LETTER FROM THENAACP.
"I'm encouraged inseeing that the predominantlyWhite board is asking thequestions as to how do we goabout and change this."ULTIMATELY THOUGH, IT'S NOTCLEAR IF THE BOARD WILL REACHA RESOLUTION.
CONCERNS OVERTIMING, MONEY AND RESOURCESTHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO RETIRETHE REDSKINS NAME, THE SAMEARGUMENTS FROM TWO YEARS AGO,REMAIN.
"That hope that I feltfrom a few of the boardmembers, that flame kind ofdiminished a little bit, butthere's still that ray of hopeand that's something that wedidn't see in2018."THE BOARD HAS ANOTHER MEETINGTHURSDAY.
IT'S NOT CLEAR IF AFINAL VOTE WILL BE MADE THEN.AT ANDERSO
Another Cincinnati area high school will retire a mascot and logo that used Native American imagery.
