Morning Sentinel Quotes Mitchell in Article on School Mascot

John Bear Mitchell, Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator at the University of Maine and University of Maine System Native American Waiver Coordinator, was quoted in a Morning Sentinel article about the debate over the American Indian image Skowhegan schools are using as a sports mascot. The issue was discussed during a school board meeting that followed the superintendent’s talk with a former chief of the Penobscot Nation, according to the article. Mitchell, who has been involved in the debate, said people who support use of Indian images and nicknames for sports teams believe mascots aren’t racist because they themselves aren’t offended, and that “tradition” often is used to defend the mascots, the article states.