Controversy Over CA High School’s ‘Arab’ Mascot

Nov 15, 2013

A school district in California is meeting to discuss whether or not they should change a high school’s official mascot: The Arab.

FOX News Radio’s Jessica Rosenthal reports:

Coachella Valley Unified School Superintendent Dr. Darryl Adams got a letter from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, complaining about the high schools’ mascot: The Arab.

(Dr. Adams) “They took offense to the fact that it had a long hook nose and a snarl on the face and a gold tooth I guess.”

Adams says calling themselves the Arabs originated in the ’20’s because they grow a crop popular in the Middle East.

(Dr. Adams)�”We grow probably more dates than any other region in the country but the “Date Pickers” didn’t seem to ring a bell. You know? Go Date Pickers! So they decided from some news article that they’d call them the Fighting Arabs.”

Adams says after they take public comment, the board will privately discuss changing the mascot.

Jessica Rosenthal, FOX News Radio.