News Flash Home
The original item was published from 5/16/2023 3:24:19 PM to 5/25/2023 8:46:34 AM.

News Flash

Latest News

Posted on: May 16, 2023

[ARCHIVED] Redesign of Village Seal to Commence

Village Seal on box outside Village Hall

After initiating a yearlong review process that included outreach to Chicago-area Native communities, a Village committee has unanimously recommended that the Village of Skokie design a new Village seal for use on official documents and other materials, replacing the current Village seal featuring Native imagery that has been used since the late 1940s.

The Village’s Human Relations Commission has periodically discussed the appropriateness of the Village seal over several years, and in 2022 created a committee of stakeholders to review, solicit feedback, and provide a recommendation regarding the use of the seal. The Village Seal Review Committee was led by Maria Monastero Bueno, chair of the Village Human Relations Commission, who worked in partnership with Kim Vigue, executive director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, and Skokie resident Jasmine Gurneau, director of Native American & Indigenous Affairs at Northwestern University. 

Designed after the community of Niles Center was renamed Skokie, which is derived from the Potawatomi word for “marsh,” the Village seal features an image of an Indigenous individual over an arrowhead background with Skokie’s incorporation date and “Village of Vision.”

Review findings

As part of its review process, the Village Seal Review Committee hosted a December 2022 listening session, inviting members of 17 Chicago-area Native community groups and organizations and reaching out to representatives of local Native residents to encourage their participation.

Following feedback from the listening session and after extensive research on the subject, the Village Seal Review Committee determined:

  • Peer-reviewed research shows that Native mascots and imagery can have a harmful effect on Native communities and the greater population 
  • The Native imagery used in the seal is not a culturally or historically accurate representation of the Native people who inhabited the area that is now Skokie
  • Some members of the Native community and the greater community find the seal image and its depiction of a Native person to be inappropriate

For these reasons, the committee unanimously recommended that the Village begin the process of developing a new, culturally appropriate design that reflects the rich history and promising future of the Village. Maria Monastero Bueno, Jasmine Gurneau, and Village Trustee Khem Khoeun will lead the committee to develop a new seal in collaboration with the Skokie community. 

Facebook Twitter Email

Other News in Latest News

Solar-powered street light

Village Pilots Solar-Powered Street Light

Posted on: September 27, 2023
Electoral Referendums Meeting map viewing

Electoral Referendums Meeting, Oct. 10

Posted on: September 19, 2023
Beautification2023web

Beautification Awards Announced!

Posted on: September 19, 2023
Skokie Village Hall

Village Recognized for Innovative Services

Posted on: September 25, 2023
COVID vaccine administration

Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Recommended

Posted on: September 19, 2023
STAT Commission logo

Provide Your Input On Technology Issues

Posted on: September 18, 2023
flu season graphic

Sign Up to Get Your Free Flu Shot

Posted on: August 30, 2023
Robot Mower

A Greener Way to Cut Grass

Posted on: September 11, 2023
Dispatch Center

Three Emergency Preparedness Tips

Posted on: September 5, 2023
Translate tool screenshot

Website Translation Tool Available

Posted on: September 7, 2023
counseling session

September is Suicide Prevention Month

Posted on: September 5, 2023
Fire ISO Class 1 award presentation

Skokie Earns Top Fire Protection Rating

Posted on: August 15, 2023
Skokie refuse crew member emptying a cart

Composting Up, Landfill Waste Down

Posted on: August 8, 2023
rat

Five ways to discourage rodents

Posted on: August 1, 2023
HomewoodRendering_web

Downtown Hotel Project Update

Posted on: July 13, 2023
Traffic Cones

It's Road Construction Season

Posted on: April 11, 2023
Heating Cooling Center Graphic (PNG)

Warming and Cooling Centers in Skokie

Posted on: November 16, 2022