Tribal community urges Sacramento school to change offensive ‘warrior’ mascot
Sacramento City Unified School District is looking to change a high school mascot which depicts a racial caricature that is offensive to the Indigenous community.
Hiram Johnson High School has long been known as the “warriors.” The school’s logo historically featured a stereotypical depiction of a Native American man wearing a war bonnet, regalia traditionally worn by leaders of the American Plains Indians Nations.
More recently, the logo has been updated to one that features an arrow, a feather and the school’s initials. However, the image of the Indigenous man is still featured around the campus, including in a large mural in the gym.
Lozen Miranda-Brightman, a student at The Met High School, has led a movement to change the mascot for several years. The junior has organized a petition to remove the mascot which has gained 330 signatures from members of the tribal and SCUSD communities.
“This mascot has been there for all to see since the creation of the school and has been fostering this racism against tribal students and the tribal community since,” Miranda-Brightman said. “The students who are becoming young adults in the world are learning that this racism is acceptable in modern society, furthering the discrimination of Indigenous peoples in both the Sacramento area and outside.”
The district isn’t just responding to local calls for change — it must also comply with a state law passed in 2024 that prohibits public schools from using derogatory Native American term as a team name or mascot beginning July 1.
The estimated cost of changing the mascot is about $250,000 largely due to changing athletic uniforms, school merchandise and campus signage, according to Director of Facilities Planning Nathaniel Browning. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse school districts for some costs mandated by the state, but Browning said it’s unlikely that the district would see that money anytime soon, if at all.
Trustees dismissed concerns about cost and reported “mixed emotions” from site staff about changing the imagery, advocating for painting over the giant logo in the school gym as soon as possible.
“If you’re not Native American, I actually don’t care what your opinion is on Native imagery and use of mascots,” trustee Jasjit Singh said. “I say that very bluntly.”
The board directed staff to start by removing offensive imagery from the campus as soon as possible.
The district has experience with “complicated” school and mascot changes, according to Browning. In 2023 the district changed the names of three schools which were named after colonists who aided in the genocide of Native Americans in California’s early history.
