Last week, like every week, cheerleaders at McAdory made a banner for the football team to run through before their playoff game. However, this week, what they wrote was very controversial, and has been called extremely racist by many people. The sign read, "Hey Indians, get ready to leave in a Trail of Tears". Many people have said that cheerleaders being punished for the sign, which was never approved by any faculty member because the cheer coach was on maternity leave, is just political correctness gone too far. On the other hand, many other people and groups are crying foul, because, to them, the sign mocks the Trail of Tears that Native Americans went through, which, for those who do not know much about it, was very similar to what the Nazis did to Jews during the Holocaust. I tend to side with the critics of the banner, because it is making fun of a very horrible time for Native Americans, and was very tasteless. However, I can see the validity of some of the points made by the other side, that the cheerleaders meant no harm and that to them, it was just a joke.
In response to this controversy, all McAdory history classes will have a unit covering what actually happened on the Trail of Tears, and how it affected Native Americans. McAdory, as well as the Jefferson County school board, have released a statement apologizing for the banner. What do you think about the reaction to the banner? Is the sign truly racist, or is the reaction just an example of political correctness gone too far?
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