Red Raider mascot debate continues to divide Bellefonte community
The Bellefonte school board wasn’t planning to discuss changing the mascot on Tuesday, and its members didn’t.
But the “Red Raider” was the subject of almost an hour of public comment. With more than 30 in attendance, most of the speakers — about 11 total — requested Bellefonte alter its mascot, a red Native American symbol with a headdress. Some voiced support for keeping the symbol as is; others said the topic has highlighted a bigger divide in the community.
Nearly 4,000 people have signed an online petition in support of replacing the mascot with something not hostile or stereotypical toward Native Americans. Jack Bechdel, who spoke Tuesday, also started a counter petition to keep the mascot the same; it has been signed by almost 5,000 people.
Those in favor of change told the board Tuesday that using a Native American to represent Bellefonte — a district where the majority of staff and students are white — is “cultural appropriation.”
The district rebranded in 2015, making the Native American symbol a secondary logo. A red block letter “B” became the primary symbol. The term “Red Raiders” was introduced by the school in 1936, and the earliest documentation of a logo came in 1938. A mascot, according to the district, wasn’t introduced until 1984, and it was later banned by 1991.
Three attendees spoke on behalf of keeping the current mascot, adding that it is a piece of history and honors Native Americans.
“I have been researching indigenous people all over the world,” Lesa Eckert, a BAHS alumna, said. “Indigenous people are trying to remain relevant, and you know, there’s a saying, ‘Imitation is the truest form of flattery.’ Why would we want to flatter someone? Because we admire them.”
When Mitchell Smith — a 2013 BAHS graduate — was a sophomore, the district considered rebranding. Smith said his initial “gut reaction” was to keep the mascot the same, but since graduating, Smith changed his mind.
Smith was joined by fellow alumni, district parents, current students, members of Native American tribes and allies in calling for change, adding that the mascot debate hasn’t gone away with time.
But the primary reason Smith spoke was prompted by what he described as “deplorable comments” being made on social media.
Referencing the Facebook group, “Keep the Bellefonte Mascot,” which has more than 3,000 members, Smith said threats and obscenities surrounding the mascot debate “have absolutely no place in public discourse.”
Rather than push the conversation off, Andrew Van Buskirk — Spring Township resident — said the board should have a conversation with the community “soon — not years down the line.”
“People are being affected now. I am being affected now because of this,” he said, adding that he has received threats for supporting a new mascot.
The district has not yet addressed how it plans to move forward with the debate or if the board will discuss changing the mascot at a future meeting. Interim Superintendent Tammie Burnaford and board president Jon Guizar did not return requests for comment on Wednesday.
While some voiced frustrations with the board’s lack of response, others say the mascot should not be the district’s main priority.
Leah Guizar — John Guizar’s wife and Bellefonte resident — dubbed the mascot issue as “currently irrelevant.”
“While I recognize that both sides of the mascot issue have valid points, I think it is more important to also recognize that there are much larger issues facing our district at this time,” she said. “Issues such as the search for a superintendent, our students’ needs as they return to school in the fall, our teacher needs as they return to school in the fall, schools even reopening in the fall and what that will look like, our budget — which is in dire shape — our curriculum, programming and getting our buildings updated and up to code.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
