New York Plans to Drop Part of Its Native American Logo Ban; Trump Posts "A Big WIN for Massapequa"
WASHINGTON — New York's Board of Regents plans to repeal part of the state's 2023 ban on Native American imagery in school names, logos and mascots. President Donald J. Trump shared the New York Post's report on Truth Social on October 19, posting: "A big WIN for Massapequa and DJT!"
According to court documents reviewed by the Post, the Board of Regents "intends to repeal" the section of its 2023 mandate that prohibited school officers and employees from utilizing or promoting any Indigenous name, logo or mascot on campus or at school functions. State Education Department spokesperson JP O'Hare confirmed the department will recommend that decisions on employee clothing, including apparel displaying Indigenous imagery, be left to local school districts, consistent with their authority over other attire and personnel decisions. Court filings show the Regents plan to formally announce the partial repeal at their November meeting, with a final vote in February.
The Massapequa school district on Long Island has fought the ban in court for years to keep its "Chiefs" name and logo, backed by the Trump administration. In 2025, Trump posted "LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!" and assigned Education Secretary Linda McMahon to investigate the ban; after visiting Massapequa High School in May 2025, she turned civil-rights findings over to the Justice Department. The district has no official mascot and no Native American imagery on team uniforms, though some merchandise has used the head of a Native American chief; it has estimated that rebranding would cost nearly $1 million. Court arguments in the case are set to begin November 4.
"After years of fighting to keep the Chiefs, we're proud of this victory," Massapequa Board of Education President Kerry Wachter told the Post. "We encourage the Board of Regents to take the next step and repeal the regulation in its entirety." (GSM, via the New York Post and President Trump's Truth Social post)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于纽约州长岛的 Massapequa 高中，该校「酋长」（Chiefs）队名与标志是这场诉讼的焦点。图片来源：维基共享资源，CC0。Photo: Massapequa High School on Long Island, New York, whose "Chiefs" name and logo are at the center of the case. Via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
