PAW PAW, Mich. - A Native Americans rights group has put up a billboard along I-94, drawing attention to the name of the Paw Paw High School mascot.
The use of "Redskins" as the mascot of Paw Paw High has been debated over the last couple of years. The Paw Paw school board voted 4-3 to retain the mascot in February 2017.
The billboard was posted by the Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports & Media and is 1/2 mile west of the Paw Paw exit on the north side. The billboard is gives the dictionary definition of the word "redskin".
“It’s a dictionary definition," said Linda Cypret-Kilbourne, from the Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media. "It’s plain and simple and it’s to educate people that we need to start making more awareness about what’s going on and that’s the main purpose.
Linda Cypret-Kilbourne has been a part of the controversy since the beginning. She's an active member of the Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media who’s spoken out at many school board meetings and events the past few years.
“To use to term 'Redskin' is the most derogatory, belittling thing you could do," said Cypret-Kilbourne. "I can’t even begin to explain how it makes me feel. It just makes me sick to my stomach.”
The group names five Michigan high schools still using "Redskins" as their mascot, including Paw Paw and Saranac.
We'll have more from Paw Paw on later editions of FOX 17 News.
