The “Arab” danced and the crowd cheered, brimming with school pride in spite of a highly publicized mascot controversy, or perhaps because of it.
Hundreds of fans of Coachella Valley High School, most dressed in green and gold, packed into the away stands for a rivalry game against Indio High School on Friday night.
Before kickoff, dozens students posed for pictures with the CV High mascot — a bearded, hook-nosed Arab caricature that has joined a national debate about stereotypes and political correctness.
Despite the controversy, there was never any question if the mascot would appear at the Friday night rivalry game said Melissa Cosme, coach of the cheer squad.
“It adds to the excitement,” Cosme said, waving to the packed stands. “We have a lot of alumni … and they see the importance of keeping the Arab.”
On Nov. 1, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee sent a letter chastising the Coachella Valley Unified School District for “orientalist stereotyping” in the mascot logo and football halftime shows. The group also launched a petition demanding the mascot be changed.
As news of the mascot controversy spread this week, students and alumni sprung to the defense of the longstanding Arab name. Over the last few days, a flurry of Interviews, letters to the editor, social media postings and an unofficial poll on MyDesert.com have shown widespread support for the mascot.
The school board plans to discuss the mascot controversy during a meeting on Nov. 21. The anti-discrimination group has called for a compromise that removes the offensive attributes of the mascot but allows the district to retain its history and heritage. The Arab mascot was first introduced in the 1920s to acknowledge the east valley’s reliance on date farming, a traditionally Middle Eastern crop.
Cosme said she understood why some people might find the mascot offensive, but she didn’t know how the school could address their concerns without abandoning the beloved mascot.
“Either way, someone is going to be unhappy,” she said.