Governor Hickenlooper not afraid to tackle the tough issues.

Via Denver Post:

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an executive order Tuesday creating a commission to discuss American Indian high school mascots.

The group would include tribes, local community members and state agencies to find common ground, said Ernest House Jr., executive director of the Colorado Office of Indian Affairs.

In the last legislative session, a bill carried by state Reps. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, and Jovan Melton, D-Aurora, that would have required tribal approval for public schools to continue using American Indian mascots passed in the Democrat-led state House but was killed by a Republican-led Senate committee.

Once a month in communities that have the mascots, the task force will hold public meetings. Ideally, tribes and schools can work together, the way Arapahoe High School in Centennial worked with its namesake tribe in 1993 and 1994 to preserve the Warrior mascot and make sure its representation is dignified and historically accurate.