ATHOL — The mascot of Athol High School has once again drawn the attention of activists who want to retire sports mascots that caricature Native Americans. An effort to rid the Athol Royalston School District of its Native American logo, mounted just over two decades ago, met with overwhelming community push-back and ultimately went nowhere.
During a State House rally on Thursday of last week, the Rev. Vernon Walker of Massachusetts Peace Action declared, “Four hundred years after the Pilgrims have landed in Plymouth, it is long past time for Massachusetts to begin to reckon with its racist and damaging history with Native Americans.”
The rally was held to call for the replacement of the mascots in some 40 Bay State school districts, including the Athol Royalston district. The sports teams at Athol High School have long been known as the Red Raiders, and the school logo portrays a cartoonish, scowling Native American in full head dress, carrying a tomahawk in one hand and a spear in the other.
Another local school employing Native American imagery in its sports logos is the Narragansett Regional School District, whose teams are known as the Warriors.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, Athol Royalston Regional School Committee Chair Lee Chauvette, Superintendent Darcy Fernandes, and High School Principal Dave King said: “We have been receiving media inquiries regarding the status of the Athol High School logo that depicts a Native American caricature.
“Currently, the district is consumed with preparing the district for potential reopening of school for September due to significant changes, guidelines, and processes due to COVID-19. District administration is working diligently on this subject matter and it is the current primary focus.
“Regarding the Athol High School logo and moniker ‘Red Raiders,’ we are certainly willing to begin to meet to discuss this sensitive matter once our ‘reopening’ is discussed and decided and implemented for the new school year. The process of discussion of the logo issue should be held with the utmost respect to community and school involvement.
“Gathering information, listening to both sides and making sound decisions on this matter formulates a better understanding and effort for the community and school alike. Again, we will welcome a discussion in the near future, but our goal currently is looking at how best to educate students in the district.”
In response to an inquiry from the Athol Daily News, Chauvette said while the district has been contacted by members of the media, he has received no communication from constituents regarding the issue.
State Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), whose district includes Royalston, has filed legislation directing the state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education to formulate regulations to bar public schools from employing Native American names, mascots or imagery in their logos.
At Thursday’s rally, Sen. Comerford asked, “What does that image say to our Native students, or Native residents, and everybody in the Commonwealth? It perpetuates racist stereotypes and white supremacy.”
State Rep. Susannah Whipps (I-Athol) is not a supporter of Comerford’s proposal.
“I think DESE has enough on their plate trying to make sure the Commonwealth’s children are receiving the education and attention they deserve,” she told the Athol Daily News. “Decisions about school mascots should be made locally, in my opinion.”
Native American-styled mascots are not the only ones to draw fire in recent memory. About two decades ago, the Winchendon School Committee was petitioned by a small group of residents to rid Murdock High School of its Blue Devil name and logo. Supporters of the move claimed they promoted Satanism. At the time, the School Committee voted unanimously to reject the petition.