Boston Globe NorthWest
Thursday, January 11, 2007

Tewksbury's AD shows ignorance on school use of an Indian nickname

I am writing in response to a recent Mike Lipka story regarding the nickname for Tewksbury Memorial High School's sports teams, the "Redmen" (Sports Notebook, Globe NorthWest, Jan. 4).

Tewksbury athletic director Bob Aylward was quoted as saying, "Nobody seems to be offended. There's always a chance, I suppose, for anything, but as far as any kind of outcry in the community, there isn't any of that."

It's this kind of naive ignorance demonstrated by some of our public school educators that has contributed to the decades-long perpetuation of racial stereotypes in the form of "Indian" sports team mascots, nicknames, and logos.

National organizations that have been calling for an end to this racist practice include the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs, the NAACP, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the National Education Association, the National Congress of American Indians, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes, and the National Coalition on Racism in Sports & Media.

Over the past 30 years, I've lived in Boston, Belmont, Framingham, Watertown, and Natick. Watertown and Natick are two of the 46 Massachusetts towns whose high schools use "Indian" nicknames, imagery, or mascots as part of their sports programs.

Ignoring the outcry doesn't mean there isn't one.

Peter Sanfaçon
New England Anti-Mascot Coalition
Framingham