Previously Dropped as Racist, High School in CT Restores ‘Redmen’ Mascot
Do you think the "Redmen" is a racist symbol and should not be used as a school mascot?
This past July, the Board of Education in Killingly, CT did away with the longtime "Redmen" mascot and replaced it with the name "Red Hawks," saying the former was a racist symbol.
Fast forward to January 2020 where a new Board of Ed in Killingly has taken control and the name "Red Hawks" has been rescinded in favor of bringing the "Redmen" mascot back. The athletic director of Killingly High School, Kevin Marcoux told the Hartford Courant,
You are all pulling the rug right from beneath us. Everywhere we go, we are the laughingstock of the state.
Many students, faculty members, and Native American groups lobbied the board not to reinstate the original name. Multiple Native American tribes like the Mashantucket Pequot and Nipmuc Tribal Nations have stepped up to voice their animosity towards what they call a racist stereotype. Do you think the NFL's Washington Redskins is an inappropriate name for a professional team?
The student body appears divided regarding The Redmen's name with one student representative on the school board saying that the mascot controversy was "largely not an issue" and that it was time to move past the debate.