“My mouth just dropped that Pekin is still not safe in 2023;” “Everyone from around Pekin knows not to go there;” “The racist history of that town is firmly planted in generations to generations;” “This is why I do not tell people that I am from Pekin.” Changed in 1980 to the Pekin Dragons, my high school’s mascot used to be the Pekin Chinks. If you Google “high schools in Illinois with a racist mascot,” the first articles to pop up all have to do with Pekin Community High School.