A busy state Senate session turned heated Tuesday as senators lodged accusations of racism and cultural insensitivity before Republicans, in a 17-16 vote, narrowly passed a bill that would increase the difficulty in raising complaints over state schools’ mascots and nicknames.
Current state law, established in 2010, allows any resident in a state school district to file a complaint over school mascots and nicknames they find offensive. The complaint then goes to the Department of Public Instruction, which holds a hearing and reviews the complaint before deciding whether to allow the school to keep the race-based mascot.
The focal point of recent debate has been the Mukwonago, Wis. district, which uses the name “Indians” for its teams. The new bill would only make a nickname-based complaint, such as one over the "Indians" nickname, valid if a population equaling 10 percent of the district’s student population supports it. The bill would also change the reviewing agency to the Department of Administration.
Democrats have said the bill represents blatant discrimination against the state’s Native American population, because the bill makes the complaint process difficult and ignores all 11 state tribes who have each come out against race-based mascots.
State Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, who joined Democrats in voting against the bill, compared the bill to only allowing a woman to file a sexual assault complaint after receiving approval from 10 percent of the electorate.
State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, who is an African-American woman, used the word “nigger” five times while explaining her point about the harm race-based nicknames inflict on tribal populations.
“I hope it makes you uncomfortable when you hear me say nigger,” Taylor said while addressing the Senate body. “But I wish you would be as uncomfortable when I say savages, redskins or even Indians.”
State Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, stood several times to emphasize the bill did not concern discrimination or racism but only concentrated on “process.” Lazich said the current system puts automatic guilt on school districts using race-based mascots and does not leave room for the district to defend itself.
“This bill is about a process for a complaint to come to attention,” Lazich said. “This bill is not about offensive mascots or racism."
The bill will now move to Gov. Scott Walker who has not yet indicated what action he will take.
