To the editor:

The diverse and inclusive world we live in today allows every voice to be heard. Sadly, that is not the case in Dartmouth. There has been a behind the scenes movement to cancel the Dartmouth Indians name and symbol from the fabric of our schools and town. 

Specifically, Dr. Shannon Jenkins, as chair of an unelected diversity subcommittee, has prioritized woke national politics over the education of Dartmouth students during her three-year crusade to cancel the Indians. Most Dartmouth residents have no idea how far and incendiary her rhetoric has been in attempting to achieve her goal. Had it not been for the Dartmouth Select Board, who unanimously approved a referendum on the April 5, 2022 ballot, we as residents would have been shut out of the process all together.

Ironically, an iteration of the Indian symbol was designed by federally recognized Wampanoag tribal member Clyde Andrews who graduated from Dartmouth High School in 1974. Dr. Jenkins has conveniently ignored the contributions of Mr. Andrews, who is in full support of maintaining the honorable symbol that was designed to honor his indigenous people.

It is astonishing to me that a single person or an unelected subcommittee could wield such power and influence over our heritage without offering a public comment period. This does not sound like democracy to me. Aristocracy, yes! If this kind of behavior is allowed, where does it stop? How do we justify the will of a single person or an unelected subcommittee to represent the masses? 

George Marcotte,

Dartmouth