Regarding your article, “Mohawk Trail set to lose Native American logo,” I want to clarify my comments at the meeting. I did not say that I was “bracing for a conversation with my son” about Native American imagery at Mohawk Trail Region School. As a parent of a prospective student at the school, I said that I had been anticipating this important conversation about inaccurate and inappropriate representations of Native Americans because my son, who is already very aware of the problems with these images, would be attending soon.
I also made clear my appreciation of the alums who care so much about our community school, administrators, and especially the students present for engaging in an important conversation. I am very proud of our public school and its willingness to take on these challenging issues and look forward to how we can use this opportunity to deepen our understanding of the negative impacts of these images and how they demean real people, misrepresent their cultures, and undermine the mission of our schools to educate about the world around us.
Erbin Crowell
Shelburne Falls