September 8, 2006
Michael L. Hopkins
Superintendent of Schools
Rochester School Department
150 Wakefield Street, Suite 8
Rochester, NH 03867
Dear Mr. Hopkins,
Thank you for your letter dated August 28, 2006. Your plan to recommend policies governing the use of the "Red Raider" logo to the School Board's Policy Committee is a good first step but it falls short of demonstrating a real commitment to cultural sensitivity in the Rochester School District.
Developing guidelines for the proper use and display of a picture—while neglecting to recognize the offensiveness of the "Red Raiders" nickname—in the midst of calls for the elimination of the logo and the nickname, simply demonstrates the District's failure to conduct sufficient research on this very serious issue. How can those responsible for the education of all children in the District justify, defend, and sponsor the continued use of an offensive ethnic stereotype in association with sports activities?
I call on the Rochester School District to demonstrate true leadership and take immediate steps to ban the use of the "Red Raiders" nickname and logo, with its stereotypic image of a bright red-faced "Indian" man with sacred eagle feathers in his hair, on all team uniforms, facilities (including the gymnasium floor and within the school itself), merchandise, and literature at the school, as well as on the school's website.
In their 2002 resolution endorsing the "elimination of the use of Indian sports mascots" the N.H. Board of Education stated that these nicknames and symbols have a "detrimental affect on the achievement, education, self-concept, and self-esteem of American Indian students and sends an improper message to everyone of the true meaning and spirit of being of American Indian heritage." The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, in a similar resolution adopted the previous year, stated that "[t]he stereotyping of any racial, ethnic, religious, or other group when promoted by our public educational institutions, teach[es] all students that stereotyping of minority groups is acceptable, a dangerous lesson in a diverse society." Thirteen years ago the National Congress of American Indians, the oldest and largest intertribal organization in the U.S., "condemn[ed] the racist and condescending attitude of ... high schools, which continue to demean the members of our nations."
It is astonishing to consider in 2006, as Spaulding High School begins its 68th academic year, that providing "educational opportunities for students related to the American Indian" hasn't already been part of the curriculum, especially considering that the school's sports teams have been known as the "Red Raiders" since the school was dedicated in 1939. I urge you to recommend to the School Board that a comprehensive curriculum in Native American Studies be introduced at the high school by the beginning of the next academic year, starting with the invitation of guest speakers from the Native American community to come to the school to speak to the student body about the impact negative, race-based nicknames, imagery, and other stereotypes have on our society. If the District has not already done extensive research in this area, the students at Spaulding have been done a grave and unforgivable disservice. (I have enclosed educational guidelines documentation from Gedakina.org, ERIC Digests, and Dartmouth College for your information.)
I urge you to recommend the School Board spends more than two hours on this issue during the 2006-2007 school year. We owe it to our children (I have two nephews in Rochester schools who will be attending Spaulding within five years) to work together—responsibly and cross-culturally—to address and resolve this issue.
Sixty seven years of the "Red Raider" is long enough. Let's bring down the curtain on this offensive display today—the logo and the nickname. Our public schools are no place for the perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes.
In closing, I urge you to propose to the School Board the formation of a Mascot Review Committee to research, evaluate, and discuss this issue.
Inaction in the face of racism is racism.
Sincerely,
Pete Sanfaçon
New England Anti-Mascot Coalition
Related websites
American Indian Sports Team Mascots
STAR (Students and Teachers Against Racism
Native American Studies at Dartmouth College
Enclosures
"Let's Spread the "Fun" Around," an essay by Ward Churchill
"Tips for Educators" (Gedakina)
"Teaching Young Children about Native Americans" (ERIC Digest)
Native American Studies at Dartmouth College course offerings
NCAA Mascot Guidelines and letter from NCAA President
Descriptions of two excellent books:
Team Spirits—The Native American Mascots Controversy
by Vine Deloria, C. Richard King, and Charles Fruehling
Dancing at Halftime—Sports and the Controversy over American Indian Mascots
by Carol Spindel
