Sauce for the Gander
Some folks in Natick, Massachusetts just don't understand what all the fuss is about. How could anyone object to treating Native Americans as mascots?
A year ago, it seemed that the Natick Redmen would soon take the field for the last time. The School Committee voted to dump the name - and the silhouette of a Native American in a feathered headdress that some teams and local boosters have adopted as an unofficial logo - in time for the 2008 football season. A task force of students, school officials, and leaders from local Native American tribes searched for a new name that the whole town could rally around.
But tradition doesn't die easily in a town that calls itself the "Home of Champions" and reveres its most famous graduate, Doug Flutie. The task force considered suggestions from the community such as "Natick Pride," "Red Hawk Men," "Volunteers" and "Americans," before settling on "Natick Hawks" last month....
On Monday, a group that wants to preserve the team name intends to present the selectmen with a petition signed by 1,800 residents and demand the issue go to a townwide vote March 25. They have plastered the slogan, "Once a Redman, always a Redman." on bumper stickers that have become an increasingly common sight on Main Street.
According to the Census Bureau, out of the 32,170 inhabitants of Natick, only 134 claim Native American ancestry. If Natick sports fans want to continue the tradition of having mascots named after tribes, why not reflect the actual composition of the town? I humbly suggest the Natick Palefaces. Surely the good citizens of Natick would recognize that name as one without racial overtones at all.
Labels: Natick, offensive mascots
