Will Bellefonte cut ties with the ‘Red Raider’ mascot in 2021? Board reopens discussion
For more than 80 years, Bellefonte Area School District students have been dubbed the “Red Raiders,” but after months of debate, the district could take action on the Native American mascot and nickname that some community members find offensive.
Though the district is unsure what that action looks like, board members met for a work session Tuesday to discuss addressing the mascot — a red Native American with a headdress — and a potential change or compromise.
The name has a long history in the district and has not been without controversy in previous years. According to Bellefonte Area School District’s website, the Red Raiders were first introduced to the district in 1936, after a Centre Daily Times reporter referred to the team that way a year earlier. Chief Okocho, a costume depicting a Native American and worn by students at activities such as athletic events, was introduced as the district’s mascot in 1984, according to BASD. It was “reportedly removed due to its insensitive appearance and poor representation of Native Americans” in the early 1990s.
In 2015, the school made its Native American symbol a secondary logo, replacing it with a red block letter “B.”
The most recent debate began in June, when a group of BASD alumni began to circulate an online petition in support of replacing the mascot with something not hostile or stereotypical toward Native Americans. Nearly 6,000 community members have signed.
A counter petition to keep the logo quickly sprung up and has been signed by almost 5,000 people who argue the Red Raiders teach Native American history and show respect to ingenious people. A “Keep the Bellefonte Logo” Facebook group also has thousands of members.
In the fall, the board heard presentations from officials on the mascot’s history and moved to evaluate diversity, inclusion and equity in the district through committee work. During Tuesday’s work session, most board members discussed a need to address the issue and find a community solution.
But board member Jeff Steiner stressed wanting to focus on issues of “greater importance” like the proposed elementary building project. He said changing the mascot is an “unnecessary” burden that would submit to “cancel culture” and hurt members of the community.
“I just don’t get it. I just don’t see this as the issue that people want to make it out,” Steiner said.
In September, Bellefonte’s Red and White newspaper staff sent a poll to high schoolers, asking how they felt about the “Red Raider.” More than 300 students responded, with 71% of respondents saying the logo should stay the same; 17% said they wanted to see change, and the remaining 12% reported a neutral stance.
For reference, the majority of Bellefonte’s population — 95.1% — is white, according to population data.
“I think (the results are) reflective of obviously our students. I think it’s reflective of our staff, not every single person,” Steiner said of the survey. “I think the overwhelming majority of people just want to let this go and our community as a whole.”
Emails obtained by the Centre Daily Times through a Right-to-Know request show more than 100 people have contacted the board and district administrators about the mascot.
“Six or seven months have passed, and the issue still remains,” Donna Smith, board member, said. “By not discussing it, we’re automatically saying we don’t even have the option to look at both sides.”
After an hour of discussion, board members suggested the district add resources to its website to highlight arguments on each side of the debate, create a framework for representation, as well as propose options like phasing out the “Red Raider” image and mascot to avoid exorbitant costs to potentially remove images from district property. Many asked to hear from members of the community and why they want to keep or change the mascot.
Board president Jon Guizar said the district will hold as many public meetings as it takes to hear from taxpayers wanting to vocalize input.
The board has yet to announce dates for public meetings, but board member Rodney Musser requested some discussion or an update at the Feb. 9 meeting.
“I do think we’re all sort of bouncing around the same idea of moving forward in a way that educates our community, our students, our board in a way that sets an example for others that are in a similar situation,” Guizar said. “I remain hopeful that there is some solution out there that will get us to that point.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 10:01 AM.
