By Associated Press - Thursday, February 23, 2017

BARAGA, Mich. (AP) - Cheerleaders at an Upper Peninsula school have apologized to Indian tribes for an offensive poster that was displayed at a basketball game.

The sign said, “Hey Speedboys, Get Ready to leave in A Trail of Tears!! Round 2.” Trail of Tears is known as a historical reference to the forced removal of Cherokee Indians in the 1830s.

The Daily Mining Gazette (https://bit.ly/2l5aYTC ) says the sign was displayed at a Feb. 7 game between Wakefield-Marenisco and Bessemer, whose nickname is Speedboys.

A letter to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community was read at a tribal council meeting Tuesday. The Wakefield-Marenisco cheerleaders apologized for what they described as their “lack of good judgment and sensitivity.”

Superintendent Cathy Shamion says students didn’t recognize the connection to U.S. history.

___

Information from: The Daily Mining Gazette, https://www.mininggazette.com

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide