14 DAY TRIAL // A high school in California is in the public eye for using a mascot resembling an Arab man. The choice has been dubbed the result of “gross stereotyping” on part of school officials choosing the mascot for the campus.
“The Arab” is representing Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, near Palm Springs. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee finds it insulting and an online petition has been started to have it removed.
The petition argues that both the image and the title itself should be changed. An assistant to district Superintendent Darryl S. Adams tells KTLA that the board will meet to discuss the issue.
School officials argue that they are honoring Middle Eastern culture by using the portrait of the man with a beard and kaffiyeh head covering.