Cherokee Nation representatives say a banner displayed during a high school football game that recalled the Trail of Tears shows the need to continue educating students nationwide about the Indian removal era.
Administrators of McAdory High School in McAlla and Jefferson County schools officials have apologized for a banner shown during a Friday night game which said McAdory's opponents, the Indians, should "Get ready to leave in a Trail of Tears."
The sign recalled the government's forced removal of more than 15,000 Native Americans from the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma in 1838 and 1839. Thousands died en route.
Cherokee Nation Principal Bill John Baker says he hopes the incident becomes a lesson for educators to teach about the Indian removal era and the resilience of tribes across the country.
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