University of Nebraska updates Herbie Husker mascot to change hand gesture associated with white supremacy

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The Herbie Husker mascot has changed from what appears to be an “OK” hand gesture with his thumb and index finger forming an O, to a gesture with his index finger raised in a “number one” gesture.

The “OK” hand symbol is listed on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) website as having been co-opted as a “racist” hand sign.

“The concern over the hand gesture was brought to our attention by our apparel supplier and others, and we have decided to move forward with a revised Herbie Husker logo,” Nebraska Athletics said in a statement. email to CNN.

“The logo modification process began in 2020 and we updated our brand guidelines in July 2021. The revised logo is now the only Herbie Husker brand available to licensees,” the university said.

Herbie Husker made his first appearance in 1974 on the school’s media guide, according to the university.

While the ADL says, “Use of the correct symbol in most contexts is completely harmless and harmless,” recent uses of the gesture have had white supremacist ties.

“In 2017, the ‘ok’ hand gesture gained a new and different meaning thanks to a prank by members of the 4chan website to falsely promote the gesture as a symbol of hate, claiming that the gesture represented the letters” wp,” for “white power,” the ADL website says.

Herbie Husker was named National Mascot of the Year in 2005, according to the university.

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