FULTON, MI The board of the Native American Heritage Fund supports the removal of any harmful mascot images, not only those disparaging to Native Americans, according to chairperson Jamie Stuck.

The group recently announced that it awarded a $98,000 grant to Godfrey-Lee Public Schools to help it rebrand after replacing its longtime "Lee Rebels" name and mascot with Legends, shedding images reflecting ties to the Confederacy to be culturally responsive.

At its July meeting, the board granted a total of $479.781.80 to seven applicants. The other six awards were for educational initiatives.

I think when it comes to imagery and a mascot that could provide a negative environment, whether it is in a learning environment or whether it is in a competitive environment for students within the State of Michigan, it affects all races, Stuck told MLive Wednesday, Sept. 18.

This does affect our culture because any type of disenfranchisement, marginalization or oppression of any race, ethnicity or culture affects us all. If this (grant) encourages people to think about revising or revisiting mascots than this did its job.

Stuck said since inception, the board has been willing to considering any offensive mascot support. He said there was one passage in the Godfrey-Lee application that especially resonated with him.

The first sentence of the graph he read says, The problem that needs to be addressed is the normalization and institutionalization of racism. The last sentence says, Racism anywhere is a threat to the school and the board no longer wanted to passively or actively be perceived as contributing to the marginalization of persons of color.

Ninety percent of the students in the district of around 1,800 kids are students of color including 78 percent Hispanics and 9.6 percent African Americans.

The school board vote in February to change the mascot was unanimous because members said it did not fit the goal of creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students.

It is critical that each individual student be able to see themselves represented in our uniforms, identity, murals, signage and namesake, according to the districts application.

Stuck said the Native American Heritage Fund has built relationships between the sovereign nations of the State of Michigan, with public and private K-12 and higher education institutions, and municipalities.

He said the work of the group is getting national attention for both its educational efforts and encouraging and mascot changes.

The Native American Heritage Fund, created in 2016, allocates a portion of Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi state gaming revenue to projects that promote positive relationships and accurate information about the history and role of Michigans Indian tribes and Native Americans in the state.

Michigans K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and local units of government are eligible to receive the fund.

Godfrey-Lee Superintendent Kevin Polston encourages other communities with mascot concerns to not be afraid to have the difficult conversations and make tough decisions in the best interest of their students. He said there will be a healing process and Godfrey-Lee is still going through it.

We made a values decision and it wasnt a majority decision, he said, about making an unpopular change. It takes time to heal but we are being very intentional.

Polston said it is possible for people to disagree on critical issues but still agree on many other things such as wanting the very best for all children and the community and valuing equity and excellence as a district.

The district estimates it will cost $262,000 to rebrand and has raised a total of $120,000. School leaders continue to solicit donations via the Districts PayPal account online or checks mailed to the district.

Belding Public Schools, which replaced its Redskins name and mascot with the Black Knights in 2017, is the only other school to apply and receive mascot funding from the Native American group.

In 2018, Belding received nearly $335,000. The board awarded $469,834 in grants that year.

Stuck said education is a major focus.

It is very important to make sure our history and culture is taught in the right way, in a respectful manner, in a way that educates, he said.

This year alone we were able to help provide funding for a lot of different events that are more focused on our history, curriculum and language preservation.

For example, GRCC received a $5,285 grant to fund a trip to the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways in Mount Pleasant and a speaker on Native American history, heritage and culture.

The two initiatives that received the largest grants were tied to curriculum and language preservation:

Stuck is scheduled to speak in October at the National Congress of American Indians conference about the Native American Heritage Fund.

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Native American group supports helping change any offensive mascot, official says - MLive.com