A small town in Missouri has been divided by the name of its high-school teams: the Savannah Savages. A water tower emblazoned with the name and a sketch of a Native American looms over the community, which has several businesses with the word “savage” in its name. Amanda Barr, who graduated from the school nearly two decades ago, started a petition to get the name changed and garnered 6,400 signatures, The Kansas City Star reported.“ I am ashamed to say I went to this high school, that I used to belong to a community that would denigrate people who have been victims of oppression in this way,” Barr said. Meanwhile, a town resident started a counter-petition that has been signed by 2,400 people. “A savage can be from any race or land,” Jeffrey Hovey declared on the petition. The school board has not yet voted on the matter.
