New England Anti-Mascot Coalition

WILTON – A group called the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition wants two local high schools to dump their mascots, claiming their names are racist.

Targeted for extinction by the group is the "Indian Warrior" symbol of Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School and Merrimack High School's "Tomahawk."

The Coalition's director, Peter Sanfaçon, of Framingham, Mass., called the names "institutional racism. Native Americans have been calling (the mascots racist) for 40 years."

But Linda Draper, Wilton-Lyndeborough's athletic director, denied that the Warrior symbol was racist and called the logo "regal."

She said the school doesn't tolerate anything that could even be considered disrespectful, like tomahawk chops or Indian yelps.

And it would be phenomenally expensive, she said, to change all the school's uniforms. Home and away basketball jerseys, for instance, cost at least $125 each.

The two local schools are among nine New Hampshire schools the group has identified as having mascots that use offensive stereotypes, including the Spaulding Red Raiders and the Winnacunnet Warriors. They have named a total of 95 schools in New England.

Sanfaçon said last week that members of his organization wrote to the WLC principal in January and the school district's superintendent on May 4, but as of May 24, had gotten no reaction. He said Merrimack officials have not responded either.

WLC School Board member Tony Lynch said the board is considering the letter and no action has been taken.

"No one has taken the simple step of sending me an e-mail,” said Sanfaçon. "They have no excuse since my contact info is on the letterhead at the top of the two letters I'd sent to district officials."

The letter accuses SAU 63 of snubbing a 2002 directive from the New Hampshire Board of Education calling for an end to racially stereotyped mascots.

New Hampshire Department of Education spokeswoman Lori Kincaid said the directive was merely a resolution and isn't enforceable.

Sanfaçon said progress is being made at Spaulding because the school has begun teaching Native American history. Most schools, however, teach history from the perspective of European settlers, who slaughtered Native Americans.

"A lot of courses talk about Westward expansion, not genocide," he said.

Sanfacon says his points aren't often received well. People don't understand why he's upset at the mascots and tell him he's overreacting.

"You name it, they said it," said Sanfaçon.

Some say they are honoring Native Americans by having their symbols as mascots, but Sanfaçon says that's ludicrous because it would not be appropriate for other races.