BELLEFONTE — In 1936, Bellefonte Area High School sophomore Bob Hoffer first used the term “Red Raiders” to describe the school’s football team in an article previewing the upcoming season, according to LaBelle yearbook staff.
Now, 84 years later, a group of alumni started an online petition to raise the question whether the school moniker Red Raiders and the current sports logo represent pride or racism. That petition had more than 2,400 signatures as of Thursday.
Soon after the online petition was launched, a counter-petition appeared with a goal of keeping the Bellefonte mascot “as it stands,” which had more than 4,100 signatures as of Thursday.
Kelly Berthold, BAHS class of 2007, helped start the Change.org petition that is looking to end the use of the Red Raider mascot.
Berthold said she was moved to push for the change in the wake of the global protests after the death of George Floyd.
“I am one person of many who have felt strongly, and continue to feel strongly, that the Red Raider mascot needs to change, and I think the time of making excuses for continued use of this mascot is over and should no longer be tolerated,” said Berthold.
“We are living in a time where people are standing up, and are openly stating we are done with excuses,” she said. “The Change.org petition was created to demonstrate that others in the community are also concerned about this issue and want change; however, it doesn’t matter how many people support this change, it needs to be done because the mascot reinforces bigotry, racism and harmful stereotypes.”
Taking a cue from the National Congress of American Indians, which launched a campaign in 1968 to address stereotypes of Native American people in popular culture, media and sports, the newly written petition calls for the school to put an end to its “own harmful mascot, the ‘Red Raiders,’ and the creation of a new mascot.”
According to NCAI, the organization’s work has led to the change of more than 2,000 Native American references in sports, but nearly 1,000 still remain. In September 2007, Indiana University of Pennsylvania changed its mascot from the Indians to the Crimson Hawks.
Since then, there are no longer any post-secondary education institutions in Pennsylvania using Native Americans or references to them as mascots, although several high schools still continue to use the theme as their mascot representation.
According the the district the schools chief logo was moved to a secondary logo to a primary red and white letter “B” logo in 2015. The American Indian chief logo is said to be a representative of a chief who once occupied the Nittany Valley region that is now home to the school district and is “used with honor and respect.”
And it is honor and respect that counter-petition creator and class of 1984 alumnus Jack Bechdel feels toward the mascot. He has been overwhelmed by the support he has seen in a few days from the community and said it shows how strongly people feel about the Red Raiders and what that symbol means to the town.
“The general consensus is that we don’t see it as racism like the first petitioners were trying to paint it as,” said Bechdel. “It is a matter of pride and a symbol of strength and unity for the community.”
Bechdel said the symbol is not a derogatory term or image, and is meant to show the strength of Native Americans who once lived on this land.
In the petition, he asked for responders to remain civil during the discourse on the matter, noting that they are all part of the same school community.
“We may have friends and acquaintances that don’t agree with this and even others who would prefer to stay on the sidelines,” said Bechdel in his petition. “I bear no ill will for these people and hope the same bodes for you as well.”
One of his classmates, Ida Higgins O’Donald, at one time was against the change, but changed her mind after she watched a video produced by NCIA that she then shared with the rest of her former class.
“Many classmates have been supporting a petition against the mascot change; however, I believe it is time to respect the Native American community and their request for us not to use harmful mascot names,” said Higgins O’Donald. “The video is profound. How can we possibly continue to use this mascot after hearing the expression of the community. I hear the words ‘pride,’ ‘courage’ and ‘strength’ used in agreement to continue to use this mascot; however, what about the honor and respect of the Bellefonte School District mission? Shouldn’t we honor and respect those that we claim to have pride?”
Katie Purnell, a 2012 graduate, said she remembers witnessing racism and discrimination during her academic career.
“That being said, I wholeheartedly believe this is the time for change. We need to change the school mascot,” said Purnell. “Both ‘red’ and ‘raiders’ are discriminatory and derogatory terms used to describe American natives. It is long past the time to change our mascot. We even could keep our school colors, and hold a design contest for a new logo and mascot. There is no reason to continue to lift up these derogatory terms toward American natives.”
Class of 2007 alum John O’Donald signed the petition to change the mascot. O’Donald is working on a new National Native American War Memorial at the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C., and had the opportunity to talk with Native American artists about their culture and history.
“Instead of asking ourselves how we think we should honor Native Americans, we should listen to them,” he said. “Or, we should agree as a community on a mascot that better represents the people and town of Bellefonte.”
People on both sides of the petition efforts spoke to the Bellefonte Area School District School Board during a June 16 meeting, and several board members thanked those attending for bringing up the discussion around the mascot. It was suggested that in the future, the board look at the issue methodically, make the discussion inclusive and ensure the decision represents the true values of the Bellefonte area.
“We believe this meeting of the Bellefonte school board went well,” said Andy Van Buskirk, a 2005 BAHS alum, who spoke at the meeting on behalf of the petition to change the mascot. “We wanted to amplify the voice of indigenous people and present a body of evidence — a body of evidence that is clear and in support of the removal of the Red Raider. We respect and appreciate the discourse presented by other members of the community and look forward to working with the school board as this discussion moves forward.”
The school board did not take any official action on the matter.
