The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is making a change to its cartoon mascot to eliminate confusion about the meaning of a hand gesture he does that has been connected to white supremacy. The mascot made a sign with his left hand. Some hate groups have used the mascot's index finger and thumb as a sign for white power in recent years. The mascot makes a gesture with his index finger.
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Nebraska Athletics said in a statement to The Associated Press that the concern about the hand gesture was brought to their attention and they decided to change the logo. The revised logo is the only one that can be used by licensees.
The meaning of the original gesture was brought to the attention of the Lonna Henrichs, the athletic department's licensing and branding director, weeks after George Floyd was murdered.
Floyd's murder and several other similar cases prompted protests around the United States, including some where white supremacy groups flashed the "OK" hand gesture.
Henrichs said that.
"That hand gesture could, in some circles, represent something that does not represent what Nebraska athletics is about. We just didn't even want to be associated with portraying anything that somebody might think, you know, that it means white power.
"We made that change as quick as we could."
Two years ago, the Anti-Defamation League added the hand gesture to its Hate Symbols Database.
The University of Illinois dropped the Chief Illiniwek logo in 2007, because it was considered offensive to Native Americans.
Several professional sports teams have undergone name changes for sensitivity reasons.
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