Illinois lawmakers are looking to ban K-12 schools from using Native American mascots or logos. House bill 5617—sponsored by state Rep. Maurice West—would require schools to alter logos, mascots or names with Native American tribes or features of Native American culture.
The bill would also prohibit schools from selling items with banned mascots and remove banned logos from school property. As of 2021, there were more than 50 high schools in the state with Native American names or imagery for their mascots, according to Illinois Public Media.
