The end of the Red Raiders? Bellefonte alumni start petition to replace ‘harmful’ mascot
About six Bellefonte Area School District alumni created an online petition to support replacing the district’s “Red Raider” mascot with something not hostile toward Native Americans.
The petition signed by more than 400 people as of 5 p.m. Thursday called for the district to replace the mascot with a new logo and mascot that is “anti-racist, anti-bias (and) all-inclusive.”
The mascot invokes racism and prejudice by referring to Native Americans as “red” and “raiders,” Bellefonte Area High School graduate and petition co-organizer Steph Herbstritt said.
“When I think of Bellefonte, I think of world-class trout fishing and historical places downtown and great leaders of Pennsylvania. I don’t think of Native American mascots and I don’t think of racism,” Herbstritt said. “I think we need to stop promoting that image as a school.”
Neither BASD school board President Jon Guizar, Superintendent Michelle Saylor nor Assistant Superintendent Tammie Burnaford immediately responded Thursday to requests for comment.
The district rebranded in 2015, making the red Native American symbol with a headdress a secondary logo. A red block letter “B” became the primary symbol.
The mascot and logo, which were introduced in 1936, should be changed because it reinforces bigotry, racism and harmful stereotypes, BAHS graduate and petition co-organizer Kelly Berthold said.
“I am one person of many who have felt strongly — and continue to feel strongly — that the Red Raider mascot needs to change, and I think the time of making excuses for continued use of this mascot is over and should no longer be tolerated,” Berthold said. “We are living in a time where people are standing up and are openly stating we are done with excuses. ... There is power in numbers, but whether or not the petition holds weight in signatures, this is a basic human rights and decency issue — a right to live life free of discrimination.”
Fellow BAHS graduate and co-organizer Evan Trowbridge openly wondered what responsibility adults or parents have to educate students and foster an inclusive environment.
“Are we aspiring for the right things? And are we making the changes that align with those aspirations?” Trowbridge said. “If you pose that question to the issue of the mascot, it seems like the answer is no. If we’re aspiring to a school system that’s more inclusive of people, celebrates their background and the fullness of their culture — and doesn’t reduce it to a caricature — then we have to say, ‘Is this expression of the mascot aligned with that value?’ If the answer is no, then that has to change.”
Bellefonte is far from the only district to use some form of “Raiders” as its mascot.
A database of mascots in the United States curated by Terry Borning shows at least 486 schools reference “Raiders,” including 15 in Pennsylvania. About 82% of the 486 team names belong to high schools.
The NCAA in 2005 implemented a de facto ban on Native American mascots by prohibiting universities with hostile or abusive mascots, nicknames or imagery from hosting any postseason games sponsored by the organization.
Student-athletes were also required to cover up any antagonistic symbolism on their uniforms during the postseason.
Eighteen universities were singled out as having mascots that did not comply with the NCAA’s policy, including the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The school in 2007 changed its mascot from “Indians” to “Crimson Hawks” after the NCAA twice denied appeals from the school and placed it on a sanctions list.
After IUP’s change, no other postsecondary education institutions in Pennsylvania are using Native American mascots.
The alumni plan to send the petition to the BASD school board and superintendent, and ask for the petition to be added to Tuesday’s school board meeting agenda.
“I’m so happy with our community and I want to keep making it better,” Herbstritt said. “... We hope that this is a movement that everyone can get behind because they understand we just want to improve Bellefonte to be even better than it already is.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 12:29 PM.