‘It’s time to evolve.’ Bellefonte Area School District to retire ‘Red Raider’ logo
After nearly a year of debate, the Bellefonte Area School District Board of Directors voted Tuesday night to retire the controversial “Red Raider” logo.
Bellefonte’s board of directors voted 8-1 to retire Native American imagery used throughout the district, after hearing from two dozen community members in support of the change. Removal must occur within one year unless an image requires costly replacement or maintenance.
For now, Bellefonte teams will still be called the “Red Raiders,” with a possible vote coming later this month on whether to change the name.
Jeff Steiner was the only board member to oppose the motion to retire the logo during Tuesday’s special board meeting, where 29 residents offered public comment on the issue. Twenty-four of the speakers — students, alumni, district parents and taxpayers — supported retiring the “Red Raider” image, saying it misrepresents Native Americans.
In a predominantly white school district, they added that Native people should not serve as mascots, logos or names.
“Native American people are not raiders,” Cecilia Stanton, a Bellefonte student, told the board. “The red raider is a caricature of indigenous people that perpetuates negative stigma, and it needs to change. The imagery of our mascot is a one-sided and false stereotype of indigenous people, and it can and will lead to bigotry and discrimination.”
The “Red Raider” has a long history in the district and has not been without controversy through the 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.”
But residents said that wasn’t enough.
“It’s time to evolve and accept the change here, as well as across the nation, to provide the next generation with (a) more positive image for our community and our children,” Julia Castor, a Bellefonte graduate and current district parent said — adding that earlier attempts to change the logo “fell short” to become culturally appropriate.
Andrew Sharp, a 2019 graduate, said change is needed but not necessarily to the name, and resident James Pringle said the district should be focusing on plans for graduation and education.
Only three residents — Brenda Reichert, Kailee Replogle and Jack Bechdel — opposed retiring the imagery, saying doing so would erase history. They added that using Native American imagery and names to represent a school is an act of honor.
“I don’t think anybody from Bald Eagle is descended from eagles; anybody from State College is descended from the ‘Little Lions;’ or Penns Valley are descended from rams,” Bechdel, a Bellefonte resident and candidate for school board, said. “I think replacing the mascot is in itself a racist act because you’re saying that the Native American cannot represent any organization.”
Last fall, the board of directors heard presentations on the mascot’s history and moved to evaluate diversity, inclusion and equity in the district through committee work. Since then, the district has scheduled an audit to examine equity in its curriculum, drafted a mandatory course on local history and eliminated native music that was played each morning. In a February work session, Superintendent Tammie Burnaford said there has been an ongoing “conscientious effort” to be educational and inclusive.
But the “Red Raider” debate continued in the community and among the board of directors. Board members Donna Smith and Max Kroell said Tuesday that being on the board is about making the district a better place for current and future students. And while their decision to support retiring the Native American imagery was not an easy one, they said there was no benefit to keeping them throughout the district.
On Tuesday, some board members said they were concerned that removing all Native American imagery from the district would take away memories from alumni and erase a piece of district history, but a showcase was proposed as a way to commemorate the imagery and “Red Raider” logo. Board member Rodney Musser, who has been vocal about the need for change, suggested the district bring in a historian to offer guidance on what images should be removed and replaced.
“I understand some of the things that people have brought up, but they’re talking about themselves. They’re not talking about others, and that’s the dilemma that I think we face,” Musser said. “I’m asking them to step into somebody else’s shoes and see how that actually feels. Until you go into another country and you are literally a minority, you have no idea what that feels like.”
A meeting to discuss and vote on retiring the “Red Raider” name is scheduled for April 27.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 11:22 AM.
