The Votes Are In!
2023 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → 
Decades-long Debate Over Arcadia High School’s Use of Apache Imagery Resurfaces
Arcadia Weekly Jun 22, 2020
Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
by
share with
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article referred to the current use of a mascot by AHS. While the school continues to use Apache imagery and names, it no longer uses the sports mascot.
For over 20years, people have questioned Arcadia High School’s controversial choice of Apacheimagery.
Thecontroversy began in September 1997 when members of a local Native Americangroup — the same one that successfully lobbied the Los Angeles school board —came to an Arcadia school board meeting to denounce the use of the Apache as amascot. In response, the Student Council began digging deep and yet, nothingchanged.
In the late1990s, Native American activists threatened to sue Arcadia High School over itsuse of the mascot. Native American activists and many Arcadia community membersviewed the high school’s use of Native American symbols — including an “ApacheJoe” mascot (which is no longer used), the Pow Wow school newspaper, the“Apache News” television program, the “Smoke Signals” news bulletin boards, theschool’s auxiliary team’s marching “Apache Princesses” and opposing footballteam fans’ “Scalp the Apaches” signs — as being offensive. The school consultedwith Native American groups and made some concessions but never changed themascot.
Perhaps now,in 2020 — the year of massive protests and change in the U.S. — another look atArcadia High’s logo and name may be in order. In an era of radical racialdivision and discord, countless symbols of rampant racism, from Confederatestatues to Aunt Jemima pancake syrup and Uncle Ben’s rice, are suddenly beingknocked down or put into the national discussion.
A localpharmacist, Mark Burstyn, has recently penned a letter of concern to theArcadia school board and Superintendent David Vannasdall.
“As a 20-year resident ofArcadia, and 30-year resident of the San Gabriel Valley, I never understood howArcadia’s mascot was an Apache.
“Over dinner last night my son,Steven, Arcadia Class of 2013 mentioned, ‘How can Arcadia still be called theApaches?’
“The Apache name needs to go. Ifnot now, when? No more excuses about getting the approval from the WhiteMountain Tribe to use the name and donating some canned food yearly.
“A new mascot does not need to bedecided right away, but the Apache name and mascot needs to droppedimmediately.
“Let us put into action the wordsof Superintendent Vannasdall: ‘As an educational body, we commit to listening,learning, reflecting, and acting to stand against racism. We can be better, andwe will do better, as we move forward to creating a socially-just society forour students.’
“A good start is dropping theApache mascot.”
ArcadiaWeekly reached out to Arcadia High School Officials and other city officialsfor comment and will bring you those responses as warranted.
Responding to Burstyn’s letter, AUSD Superintendent David Vannasdall said, inpart:
“This is a topic that is very personal and close to my heart andI am disappointed that you did not reach out to me or a board member overthe last 20 years to understand the ‘why’ behind this issue whetheryou agree with it or not. I have been traveling to the White Mountain ApacheTribe in Arizona along with staff, parents and board members for 15 years now, 15of the 20 years we have had a strong partnership with the tribe community andcouncil. You may not know this but the Apache tribe has only granted the use oftheir name twice in their history, once to the U.S. Government for the Apachehelicopter and the other one to Arcadia Unified Schools in recognition of ourstrong partnership that has endured for many years with annual culturalexchanges. Our high school has a student Apache Commission that is responsible forpresenting anything with the Apache name on it to the tribe council annuallyfor approval. As you probably know from research, we do not have a mascot butinstead an emblem co-designed by the Apache tribe. The respect between ourschool district and the Apache tribe is rooted in respect and the desire forcultural exchange.
“For me, I will continue to honor the relationship we havebetween Arcadia and The White Mountain Apache People and, personally, thepeople I am fortunate to call my friends regardless of the name. I believerevisiting this issue both with the White Mountain Apaches and the community ona regular basis is wise.”
At theSchool Board Meeting Tuesday, another resident of Arcadia questioned the needfor AHS to have the Apache logo.
Additionally,a former Arcadia High student contacted Arcadia Weekly when the story firstbroke Monday.
“Recently, several past and present Student Council ApacheCommission chairs and alumni have come together to organize the efforttoward changing the Apache designation and improving our relationship with theWhite Mountain Apaches, without the use of their name. Included in that effortis a call to change the school’s Native American imagery listed in the articlesuch as the Apache Pow Wow newspaper or Apache “warcries” chanted at football games,” said Sarah Wang, now at UCLA.
Shayan Farooq, an alumna of Arcadia High School is workingwith fellow alumni and classmates to address the issue as well. This group ofstudents is organizing to encourage the AHS administration to drop the logo infavor of something more significant (perhaps, as classmate Vivian Wangrecommended, an animal important to the White Mountain Apaches) whilecontinuing programs and initiatives to support the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
Much of this work is being done through a Change.org petition, bysending emails to the administration, and donating to the tribe’s COVID-19relief fund.
Farooq shared, “In the past, many students discussed theinappropriate nature of this mascot, regardless of AHS’s donations to andsupport for the WMAT. The current momentum of activist groups nationwide isgalvanizing, which is why we are using this moment to rectify a wrong. Activismbegins at home, locally, and we believe that proper education acknowledges andrefutes racism in every form.”
This group of students finds Superintendent Vannasdall’s responsein a private email to another concerned student to be “largely unsatisfying.”
We’d like tohear your thoughts on the subject for inclusion in the ongoing discussion.Please email comments/concerns to tmiller@beaconmedianews.com.
