TULSA, Okla — The Tulsa Public School Board voted in a six-to-one vote September 8, condemning discriminatory mascot imagery across its schools.
More info on the motion can be found in this Tulsa Public Schools Meeting Agenda.
According to TPS, the vote only impacts imagery of school mascots, which means items like uniforms and equipment that have the nicknames of the schools will not have to be replaced.
WATCH: Tulsa Public School Board votes to eliminate 'discriminatory school mascots'
The school board sent the statement below, stating it will be seeking the community's help to make sure the new mascots are welcoming to every student:
David Bible is a Muscogee Creek Nation tribal member and the Chairman of the Tulsa Indian Club.
He said he was a part of the group that changed Union School District’s old mascot to it’s new one.
“It took 20 years to get that mascot changed from the Redskins to the Red Hawks," he said.
He said he was at the meeting last night and saw current Native American TPS students speaking out about this issue.
“They are proud of their heritage, and they do not look like the imagery that are depicted in the hallways and the logos," he said.
Bible said he's glad there are steps being taken to make sure students feel safe and included at school, especially since he had a very different experience.
“My history was, there was a lot of name-calling, a lot of banners put up, signs put up to 'scalp the Indians,' and say other things," he said. "That made me feel kind of scared, because I was just a young child, and these were hollered at me by adults.”
Bible also said he’s happy with the school board’s decision and is proud of the youth for speaking out.
“Our history is always going to be there," he said. "As a Native, we've gone through so many things in our history, and we're still here.”
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