One of the very best films we've seen "Fighting Indians" on the issue of Native sports mascots was made by Mark Cooley about the Skowhegan Indians in Skowhegan, Maine. This story parallels what is happening in towns all over the United States.
CNA is honored to host a showing of this extraordinary film
Wednesday, March 9th at 7:00 P.M. EST
We will send the Zoom link in the weeks ahead.
Please see the trailer and synopsis for the film below.
Synopsis: On May 16th, 2019, The State of Maine made history by passing LD 944 "An Act to Ban Native American Mascots in All Public Schools," the first legislation of its kind in the country. For Maine’s tribal nations, the landmark legislation marked an end to a decades long struggle to educate the public on the harms of Native American mascotry.
Fighting Indians chronicles the last and most contentious holdout in that struggle, the homogeneously white Skowhegan High School, known for decades as “The Home of the Indians." This is the story of a small New England community forced to reckon with its identity, its sordid history, and future relationship with its Indigenous neighbors. It is a story of a small town divided against the backdrop of a nation divided where the “mascot debate” exposes centuries old abuses while asking if reconciliation is possible.
This amazing film needs to raise money to pay for the very expensive distribution.
Please consider donating to the filmmakers here.
We acknowledge Pennsylvania exists on the tribal lands of the Delaware, Erie, Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Munsee, Shawnee, and Susquehannock.