The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has changed its cartoon mascot Herbie Husker to eliminate any possible associations between the mascot and white supremacy.

In the original depiction of the mascot, which emerged during the 1970s, the cartoon character’s left hand can be seen making an ‘OK’ sign, with the index finger and thumb joined in a closed circle to form an ‘O’, and with the rest of the fingers extended.

In recent years however, a similar hand gesture has been increasingly adopted by white supremacist groups, who hold that the three extended, upright fingers – the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger – form a ‘W’, and the closed index and thumb form a ‘P’, symbolising ‘White power’.

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According to international NGO, the Anti-Defamation League, the ‘OK’ hand gesture is indeed a hate speech symbol. As per the NGO’s website, the ‘OK’ gesture is described as, “A common hand gesture that a 4chan trolling campaign claimed in 2017 had been appropriated as a symbol meaning ‘white power.’ Used by many on the right – not just extremists – for the purpose of trolling liberals, the symbol eventually came to be used by actual white supremacists as well. Caution must be used in evaluating instances of this symbol’s use.”

Given the connotations associated with the gesture, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has decided to do away with it completely: Herbie Huskers now makes the well-known ‘We’re no. 1’ sign with his index finger upright to form ‘1’.

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Commenting on the change, Nebraska Athletics told the Associated Press, “The concern about the hand gesture was brought to our attention by our apparel provider and others, and we decided to move forward with a revised Herbie Husker logo. The process of changing the logo began in 2020, and we updated our brand guidelines in July of 2021. The revised logo is now the only Herbie Husker mark available to licensees.”

The information about the change in Herbie Husker’s hand gesture was first reported by online media outlet, Flatwater Free Press.