To the editor: 

I am not originally from Dartmouth and I did not go to Dartmouth High. However, I have friends from  Dartmouth, and I CHOSE to move here and raise my family. Dartmouth is a beautiful community full of  great people! I now have three daughters in Dartmouth Public Schools. One child in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in high school. 

They are great kids, who don’t have a prejudiced bone in  their bodies. 

Not once have they, or me and my wife, ever thought of the Dartmouth High Indian logo as  racist or inappropriate. We think of it as a symbol of strength, which it has been for many decades and I’m  sure is a source of pride for many alumni. 

So why is this an issue now after decades and decades of community pride and unity? Like many people,  I work out of town and don’t have the opportunity to follow local school committee meetings as much  as I’d like. So, I was very surprised to learn recently that there was a subcommittee looking into  removing/changing the Dartmouth Indian logo! …. Why? …. Who’s offended by it? … Who is leading this  charge … What’s their motivation? 

Honestly, I’m frustrated and annoyed by this new sense of “self-induced outage” in today’s society. 

The Indian logo hasn’t been deemed offensive for the past 10, 20, 30, 40+ years …. So why now? The logo  hasn’t changed, has it? To me It’s still the same respectful symbol of the strong indigenous people from  our community and region…. that’s it. Pretty straight forward. 

Like most everything in life, things usually  aren’t complicated, people make them complicated.  

Unfortunately, there are always going to be people that want to make every molehill into a mountain…. constantly looking for new things that offend them personally, so they can try to change our culture and  feel somehow morally superior… It's exhausting! 

If this topic hasn’t been a problem in Dartmouth for  decades, then it shouldn’t be now. This also shouldn’t be a political issue. The Indian logo has been a  symbol of cultural strength in Dartmouth for many decades, and no one needs to change it.  

I am thankful for Selectman John Haran’s leadership and the Select Board’s support to allow Dartmouth  voters to have input (via a non-binding referendum) on the spring election ballot this April 5. I  encourage other parents that agree that this effort to remove the Indian logo is completely unnecessary to join me in vOp as a symbol of strength and unity! 

Michael Mattos,

Dartmouth