fox files

The woke Left has been trying to cancel American history for years.

But they picked the wrong fight this time.

And Linda McMahon just delivered crushing news to New York officials who tried to erase this piece of American history.

New York officials get slammed for discriminatory mascot ban

The battle over the Massapequa High School Chiefs mascot has been raging for months.

New York’s Board of Regents tried to force the Long Island school district to dump its longtime mascot because it was supposedly offensive to Native Americans.

But the federal government just stepped in with a bombshell ruling that has New York education officials scrambling.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that her department is referring the case to the Department of Justice for enforcement action.

The move comes after New York state officials rejected a settlement agreement that would have brought them into compliance with federal civil rights law.

“Both the New York Department of Education and the Board of Regents violated federal antidiscrimination law and disrespected the people of Massapequa by implementing an absurd policy: prohibiting the use of Native American mascots while allowing mascots derived from European national origin,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

McMahon didn’t pull any punches in her criticism of New York’s selective enforcement.

The Department of Education found that New York violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by banning Native American mascots while allowing other schools to keep mascots like the “Dutchmen” and “Huguenots.”

That’s discrimination pure and simple.

Federal investigation exposes New York’s hypocrisy

The Office for Civil Rights opened its investigation into New York’s mascot policy back in April.

What they found was a textbook case of government overreach and selective discrimination.

New York officials were perfectly fine with mascots that celebrated European heritage.

But when it came to honoring Native American culture and history, suddenly they had a problem.

McMahon visited Massapequa High School in May to announce the results of the federal investigation.

The Trump administration wasn’t going to let New York get away with this discriminatory double standard.

“We will not allow New York state to silence the voices of Native Americans, and discriminatorily choose which history is acceptable to promote or erase,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

The federal government offered New York a way out through a Resolution Agreement.

All the state had to do was rescind its ban on Native American mascots and issue an apology to Indigenous tribes.

New York officials turned it down flat.

New York doubles down on discrimination

New York’s refusal to accept the federal settlement shows just how committed they are to their woke agenda.

Even when faced with a clear violation of civil rights law, they’d rather fight it out in court than admit they were wrong.

The Office for Civil Rights gave New York officials 10 days to accept the Resolution Agreement or face referral to the Department of Justice.

They rejected it not once, but twice.

Now the Department of Justice will have to step in and force New York to comply with federal law.

This case perfectly illustrates the Left’s twisted approach to “protecting” minority groups.

They claim to care about Native Americans while simultaneously trying to erase their history and culture from public view.

Meanwhile, they have no problem with mascots that honor – or stereotype – other ethnic groups.

It’s selective outrage at its worst.

The real issue: government overreach vs. local control

The Massapequa Chiefs controversy highlights a much bigger problem with government bureaucrats trying to impose their values on local communities.

The people of Massapequa didn’t ask New York state officials to change their mascot.

This was a top-down mandate from Albany politicians who think they know better than the local community.

School mascots should be decided by the people who actually attend those schools and live in those communities.

Not by bureaucrats in the state capital who are pushing a political agenda.

The federal government’s intervention in this case sends a clear message that discrimination won’t be tolerated, even when it’s dressed up as progressive politics.

Linda McMahon and the Trump administration are standing up for the principle that all cultures and histories deserve equal treatment under the law.

New York’s mascot ban was never about protecting Native Americans.

It was about advancing a woke agenda that seeks to erase certain parts of American history while celebrating others.

What happens next

Now that the case has been referred to the Department of Justice, New York will face federal enforcement action.

The state could lose federal education funding if it continues to violate civil rights law.

That would be a costly mistake for New York taxpayers.

The Department of Justice has the authority to file a lawsuit against New York to force compliance with Title VI.

Federal courts don’t look kindly on government entities that discriminate based on race or national origin.

New York officials would be wise to reconsider their position before this gets even more expensive.

The Massapequa Chiefs case could set an important precedent for similar disputes across the country.

Other states that have tried to ban Native American mascots while allowing others might want to take a close look at their policies.

Selective enforcement of mascot bans based on the ethnic origin of the name or symbol is discrimination, plain and simple.

The federal government won’t stand for it under the Trump administration.

This is what happens when woke politics collides with civil rights law.

The law and truth win every time.