In one community on Long Island, New York, there’s a motto that’s hard to miss.
It’s on bumper stickers and proudly proclaimed by many living in the middle-class shoreline hamlet that has President Donald Trump’s attention.
“There’s a saying here in Massapequa: ‘Once a Chief, always a Chief,” said longtime resident Morris Miller, as he waited his turn Tuesday in the chair at Abraham’s Barber Shop.
The retired US military veteran is referring to the logo that has been used by Massapequa High School since opening down the block seven decades ago.
The logo, of a centuries-old chief in Native American headdress, is painted on a massive wall mural adjacent to campus, a few doors down from the barber shop.
“I don’t see it as a negative thing towards anyone,” said Anthony Grimaldi, another patron.
The New York Department of Education does not see it that way, maintaining such Native American images “have shown to perpetuate negative stereotypes that are demonstrably harmful to children.”
The state’s education department banned Native American mascots in public schools two years ago, amid a national effort to drop language and imagery disrespectful of Indigenous peoples. Most school districts – at risk of losing state funding – have since complied with the order, with the Massapequa Union Free School District in particular standing out in defiance of it and taking the matter to court.
The district’s stance is a source of frustration for one resident, who played hockey for the Massapequa High Chiefs and later in life learned he was of Native American descent.
“I understand the attachment to the mascot,” Adam Drexler, 60, told CNN, saying his issue is not so much the ban but with how people are discussing it in his community.
“They talk about respecting and honoring Native Americans that were here first but they’re not,” Drexler said. “If they were, they would revisit the image.”
Legal battle comes to a head
The school district sued the state in federal court in September 2023 in an attempt to keep the chief as its mascot, embarking on a subsequent legal battle that came to a head last month, with a judge dismissing the case.
In her March 27 ruling, the judge stated the plaintiff failed to support its claim. US District Court Chief Judge Margo K. Brodie gave Massapequa schools 30 days to modify its claim or face permanent closure of the case. On Friday, the judge granted the plaintiff’s request for an extension, setting May 12 as the deadline to file an amended claim.
Trump weighed in on the matter on social media this week, voicing support for the school system in a region he comfortably won in 2024. He called the name change “ridiculous” and noted the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs aren’t changing its name anytime soon.
The president’s support for the district is consistent with his stance against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which has recently played out in his administration’s crackdown on higher education institutions.
“I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “I am asking my highly capable Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to fight for the people of Massapequa on this very important issue.”
CNN has reached out to the US Department of Education for more on possible actions it may take.
Trump addressed the issue again on Wednesday when asked about the NFL’s Washington Commanders changing its name from the Washington Redskins, telling reporters it’s “demeaning” and “degrading to the Indian populations” to “erase” a Native American name from sports teams and logos.
In a joint statement, the Massapequa Board of Education referred to Trump’s stance as “affirmation” of what the district was fighting for.
“The Massapequa community has been working hard to preserve our identity and protect local decision-making. We are honored that President Trump has recognized our efforts and brought national attention to our cause,” read the statement. CNN has inquired if officials in Massapequa reached out to the president for assistance after the legal setback.
The state education department has remained steadfast in its position insisting the 2023 regulation was adopted to prevent “demeaning Indigenous names and mascots in New York’s public schools.”
“It is ironic that the federal government now seeks to intervene on an issue that is squarely reserved to the States,” state education department spokesperson JP O’Hare said in a statement to CNN.
‘We pay our respects to 365 years of history’
The Massapequa school district, which serves around 6,500 students, led three other Long Island public school systems into civil court seeking to overturn the ban, arguing it constituted government overreach and violated the First Amendment.
“The ‘Chiefs’ mascot is not just a school sports mascot, it is a mindset that unifies the Massapequa community and encourages them to strive for excellence,” the lawsuit says.
The suit referenced an April 18, 2023, letter to the Massapequa community stating the mascot “honors Chief (Sachem) Tackapausha, who, according to local history sources, sold the area now known as Massapequa Park to a group of settlers in 1658.”
The letter also stated, “from our very name of Massapequa to the many historical plaques located throughout town, we pay our respects to 365 years of history.”
The lawsuit notes that the name Massapequa itself “is derived from the Native American term “Marspeag” or “Mashpeag,” which translates to “great waterland.”
O’Hare said Massapequa school officials “stayed silent during the regulatory process,” adding they did not reach out to Indigenous leaders or engage the department’s Mascot Advisory Committee to determine whether its Native American team name and mascot would be permissible – which requires the approval of “local tribal leaders.”
“Instead, Massapequa decided to pursue litigation challenging the State’s regulations. Unsurprisingly, these cases have been dismissed,” O’Hare said in his statement to CNN.
In their complaint, attorneys for the school district said, “Native American tribes and individuals cannot be the sole decision-makers on whether a school district’s use of an Indigenous name, logo or mascot is legal or not.”
Long Island is home to two recognized Indian tribes, the Shinnecock Nation and the Unkechaug Nation, which are based on two separate reservations east of Massapequa. CNN has reached out to representatives of both Nations for comment.
In his statement, O’Hare quoted Germain Smith, former general council secretary of the Shinnecock Nation, as supporting the education department’s position: “Speaking for myself as a tribal leader and as an Indigenous person, the message that is being sent by [the state regulations] is that we’re not a symbol, we’re not a mascot, we’re not history. We’re real people that are still here and still exist.”
Drexler, the former Chiefs hockey player, was reluctant to get into the politics of it all. He focused on the appropriateness of the image, in particular the headdress, which he called, “the Hollywood romanticized image of the Native American.”
Drexler said in 2000 he re-connected with his biological mother who informed him of his heritage. He is a member of the Chickasaw Nation.
“I was adopted into White Jewish family only to find out at 35 that I was Native American…. I can’t claim what it feels like to be Native American. I look like a typical White boy,” said Drexler, who works in commercial sales but spends time researching Indigenous history since his “life-changing moment.”
While walking near the chief mural on Tuesday, Donna Schneider, said she agreed with fellow residents that the Chief logo should not be switched but she wished the White House would stay out of it. Schneider said she works with the Massapequa school district’s administration department.
“Don’t get me started. He’s got bigger fish to fry,” said Schneider, referring to the president. “I don’t think this should be on his platform at all. I just don’t think it’s a Trump issue or presidential issue.”
Back inside the barber shop, the president’s attempt to intervene in the bitter battle between the district and the state was well-received.
“I think it affects everybody. He represents us….I’m glad he’s standing up for this,” Grimaldi said as he got his haircut.
While the school district may ultimately lose the legal battle over its use of Chiefs, the associated image likely will remain a staple in the community: Tackapausha’s profile adorns the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce welcome sign and is featured on its fire department’s trucks and patches.
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