Gov. John Kitzhaber has gone on record as saying he will veto Senate Bill 215. This bill, which has passed the House and Senate, would effectively overturn the Oregon Board of Education's 2012 decision to eliminate the use of Native American mascots in Oregon schools.

At issue here are both group and individual rights -- sovereign tribal cultural property rights, and Native students' human and civil rights. Exposing individual Native students to mascots, targeting and bullying for sport, recreation and entertainment is not dignified or honoring, and is race-based discrimination.

These rights are violated regardless of a "thumbs up" from a few local elected tribal leaders. But in fact, the vast majority of tribal leaders in the United States have made their views on this issue known and have asked for a ban on mascots.