50 signatures reached
To: El Camino Real Charter High School
We Don't Need Conquistadores
Change the violent mascot name of El Camino Real Charter High School's "Conquistadores."
Why is this important?
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley I had the honor to be surrounded by so many different types of people and it is this diversity that makes our city special. Woodland Hills, along with its neighboring cities, is on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley and is situated in the heart of Tongva, Fernandeno, and Chumash lands.
Conquistadores came to these lands as part of the Spanish conquest and murdered, raped, and enslaved entire cultures of Native peoples. That is the brutal legacy of the Conquistadores. I am of Filipino ancestry, and Conquistadores also subjugated native Filipinos and their land in the name of conquest. In honor of all students and families with Native ancestry, and for all those who support a more just and equitable world for our children, please consider changing the name of our mascot from something that evokes violence and subjugation to something uplifting and powerful.
Conquistadores came to these lands as part of the Spanish conquest and murdered, raped, and enslaved entire cultures of Native peoples. That is the brutal legacy of the Conquistadores. I am of Filipino ancestry, and Conquistadores also subjugated native Filipinos and their land in the name of conquest. In honor of all students and families with Native ancestry, and for all those who support a more just and equitable world for our children, please consider changing the name of our mascot from something that evokes violence and subjugation to something uplifting and powerful.