According to Adams, the mascot was introduced in the 1920s in an effort to honor a link between Middle Eastern cultures and Coachella Valley date farmers.
“A mascot chosen to show reverence and honor for the customs of prideful Middle Eastern peoples throughout our region, now provokes negative feelings, and this must be addressed,” Adams wrote. “Times change, people change, and, subsequently, even symbols and words embraced for decades may need to be considered for change as well.”
The ADC’s director of legal and policy affairs, Abed Ayoub, said the logo reinforces the stereotype of Arabs being villains. “There is more to this community than bad guys and belly dancers,” Ayoub said.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the library at the high school although an agenda has not yet been released.
[The Desert Sun]
