“I had the privilege of meeting a Native American family from Cambridge Central School District (CCSD) who are very active members in the community,” said Bendett. “They have advocated for keeping CCSD’s Native American mascot time and time again because of its historical significance and meaning to their family legacy—the mascot itself was chosen because of Native American contributions to the community. Withholding state aid and removing school officers if a school district refuses to eliminate what the state has deemed ‘culturally insensitive’ mascots are unnecessary initiatives. This statewide ban undermines New York communities’ ability to decide which parts of history they wish to preserve.”