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On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Agawam Town Council voted to keep the Agawam sports team nickname, “The Brownies,” as well as the district’s Native American caricature mascot.
In the unanimous vote to keep things as they are, some town officials said that the "Brownies" nickname has nothing to do with the color of someone’s skin, according to Western Mass News. It’s a reference to a former Agawam coach and the school’s colors - brown and orange.
Still, a number of people in town find the mascot and nickname disgraceful. A petition signed by 1,500 people asking the town to change the sports logo was what pushed Agawam officials to vote on the matter.
Many schools have been shifting away from using Native American stereotypes as sports mascots including Mohawk and Frontier regional school districts in Massachusetts. There are 28 schools in Massachusetts that still use Native American mascots, according to the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition. It is by far the state with the most race-based mascots in New England. Connecticut has 12.
At the state level, Massachusetts is considering a bill that would force schools with Native American mascots to change.
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