Spaulding High School in Rochester, NH, Might Retire their Red Raider Mascot
According to Fosters, Activists are again calling on the Spaulding high school city school board to retire the Red Raider sports team mascot. It is not the first time this concern has been brought to the school board's attention. Back in 2006, alumnus brought concerns about the mascot's offensiveness to the superintendent’s office. Public meetings were held but community members disagreed that the symbol was racist so nothing was done. But now it's 2020 and we are more woke than that.
The Red Raider mascot is an image of an indigenous person with a scar on his face. The image is not wearing red clothing so I interpret the word "red" in red raider to be referring the indigenous person's skin color making it a slur. If the Washington Redskins can change their name then Spaulding High School should too!
The article states there is a petition being circulated and as of today (Friday July 17th) over 950 people have signed it. A mother of two from Rochester named Beth Grosso says, "“I do not want to see my children enter a high school with an antiquated relic, an abrasive relic of the past.”
The mayor of Rochester Caroline McCarley believes the decision to keep or abandon the Red Raider should be up to the school board. However she fully admits it is time for change. “I think while we all over time can realize the implications of something that, at the time of its origin [the implications were not on people’s radar.”
This will be discussed further on August 20th a the school board’s special services committee meeting.