so when i first saw that McAdory High School "trail of tears round 2" post, it didn't even have 200 notes yet. i googled "McAdory High School racism" and found nothing. i was so upset, and sent a message to some bigger bloggers to signal boost it so it would go viral, and now it has over 22k+ notes.
i googled the same thing, and now there are actually hits about it.
High School Slammed for Its Mocking and Shocking ‘Trail of Tears’ Banner
here's a hit from google that shows ANOTHER "Trail of Tears" mocking sign
and a decent blog post here
and of course many others.
i don't know how i feel about this. on one hand, i'm overjoyed at the support from tumblr for NDN rights and respect, because it's really difficult to get people to care. maybe this will help fuel a change in the sports industry to STOP using racist mascots that dehumanize natives. it only breeds another generation of racist, disgusting children in the name of "school spirit" and pride.
on the other, a vague promise to "discipline" willfully ignorant cheerleaders and plan a lesson for all grades on the Trail of Tears is... i don't know. look at twitter, or even the comments on the viral post- these kids are proudly racist. it's a little disappointing that it just results in shaking fingers at cheerleaders and teaching them the same whitewashed history. the principal SAW the sign go up and did nothing to stop it, thought it wouldnt matter. he should be fired. he should have gone and taken the sign down himself. issuing an apology because you got caught is not an excuse.
i can only imagine what kind of backlash hell the OP went through, with their blog being closed. i wish them the best and i am incredibly grateful that they brought attention to the sign.