BURROUGHS: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

Trish Burnett knew better than be surprised or frustrated. But the hurt she felt was another matter.

It is one thing to be opposed. After all, as a second-term member of the Burbank School Board, Burnett knows that disagreement among the five members is commonplace. It's another thing entirely to be ignored.

And that is how Burnett felt two weeks ago when she made a motion for a committee to be formed to look into the appropriateness of Burroughs High of Burbank continuing to use the nickname Indians and use an Indian as its school symbol.

Burnett made the motion after 24 Native Americans stood before the board Jan. 19 and said the Burroughs mascot was derogatory and offensive. When they finished, Burnett made a motion for a committee to be formed. She didn't demand the mascot be changed, only that the issue be given the respect it deserves.

Burnett's motion was met with silence. Loud, deafening silence.

``It was quite pronounced,'' Burnett said.

And it spoke volumes.

We don't care, the board members said through their tightened lips, that this name is offensive to anyone else. We don't care, their silence screamed out, that an entire race of people gets paraded around - some would suggest mocked - every time the football team takes the field or the basketball team takes the court.

Simply, we don't care.

Not even a statement by the United States Commission on Civil Rights last April calling for an end to the use of Native American images and team names by non-Native schools was enough to convince board members to consider the feelings of others.

According to Burnett, the feedback she got from colleagues is that the Burroughs' mascot has been in place for 50 years and they see no need to change it.

It's nice to see our elected officials are such forward thinkers. Since we've had a racist mascot for 50 years, it's OK to have a racist mascot.

``To me, that is very shallow thinking compared to the support and words expressed by the people in favor of changing it,'' Burnett said. ``You would think when someone tells you something is offensive and racist, that would mean something.''

Burnett has always felt uncomfortable with the Indian mascot, although she waited until the proper time to bring attention to the matter. When the Commission on Civil Rights issued its statement in April, Burnett thought a door to intelligent dialogue was finally pushed open.

Her colleagues' response showed just how tightly shut that door really is.

``They don't want to change and they don't want to get on any path that might lead to change,'' Burnett said.

And that is sad. For everyone.

It is hard to believe that people can't see how a nickname like Indians or the use of an Indian as a mascot could be offensive to others. This isn't a commonly used nickname like Braves or Warriors, which at least embody the pride and courage of Native Americans (though those names, too, are offensive to some). The same goes for nicknames like Vikings (Norwegian pride) Celtics (Irish), Conquistadores (Spanish) and Aztecs (Mexican).

By using the name Indians, Burroughs is taking an entire group of people and using them as a mascot, and that is not right.

Would Burroughs Italians be offensive? How about Burroughs Jews, Burroughs Mexicans or Burroughs Armenians? Or maybe just the Burroughs White Men?

Of course they would. They are offensive and downright inappropriate, which is why you don't see names like that used as mascots. Even the Los Angeles School District, which gets few things right, banned the use of offensive names several years ago.

Yet no other Burbank School Board member but Trish Burnett is willing to make the connection that Native Americans feel the same way about the name Indians?

That is absurd.

In this case, it only matters what Native Americans think, and recently 24 Native Americans pleaded to the Burbank School Board to change the nickname because they were offended by it.

That is enough for me and it should be enough for the Burbank School Board.