In an emotional and contentious RSU #12 school board meeting Sept. 9, Wiscasset High School once again came under fire for the school’s use of the word “Redskins” as an athletic mascot and emblem.
Following a brief superintendent’s report by Greg Potter, the agenda was adjusted to allow the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission to make a presentation advocating for the immediate removal of the controversial name. Displaying a plaque depicting the sale of Indian scalps during colonial Boston, Indian Tribal State Commission chairwoman Jamie Bissonnette Lewy, a Missisquoi Wabanaki Indian, spoke of the “historic intergenerational trauma” that the word “redskin” connotes.
“The term to our people is as offensive as the ‘n’ word is to blacks,” Lewy said. “It was British slang that described the skin color of a scalped Indian. Our history is steeped in oral tradition and it’s never more than a generation away. By changing your mascot this presents an opportunity for our children to walk together hand in hand in a more responsible way.”
Board member Eugene Stover, Wiscasset, took umbrage with the proposal by saying that “we went through this 11 years ago” and the issue “just creates another hostile act for the board to deal with.”
“We’ve had this in our system since the 1930s and have never once demeaned the redskin mascot. It’s been treated with dignity and respect. Where is the problem? If this is such an issue, why is there still a Congressional Black Caucus,” Stover said.
Board member Joan Morin, Whitefield, responded to Stover’s comments with an audible gasp and made the motion to cease using of the term “redskin” immediately.
“This saddens me and knocked the wind out of me when I heard about it,” Morin said.
Tribal State Commission member Cushman Anthony urged the board to put this “horrific” word back into history and use the change “to involve students” in finding a mascot that “reflects the richness of your particular community.”
“It’s beyond mere political correctness,” he said. “It’s too deep.”
The debate was briefly interrupted by Wiscasset resident Ginny Cooper who shouted from the back “for the world to have sense of humor about these things” and “blacks are now negroes, Japs aren’t yellow anymore and I’m sick of it.”
The town of Sanford has recently changed its mascot from the “Redskins” to the “Red Raiders” in a citizen led initiative. On a national level, pro football’s Washington Redskins successfully fought a trademark revocation suit in the 2005 court case of Pro Football Inc. v. Harjo. Other pro teams including the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves have so far resisted efforts from Native American groups to change their respective team characters.
In April of 2001 the U.S Commission on Civil Rights called for an end of the use of Native American images saying they are ” particularly inappropriate and insensitive in light of the long history of forced assimilation that American Indian people have endured.
Board member Thom Birmingham made a motion to discuss the issue in detail at a future meeting. “This deserves a good hard look,” he said.
In other business, the Board drew the ire of Alna treasurer Dominic Caristo who regretted the fact that “seniors are taking out loans to pay their taxes” and homes aren’t selling because “of prohibitively high property tax.” The Board also accepted the resignation, with regret, of three teachers and approved the hiring of 14 more. The RSU #12 Board of Directors will next meet on Oct. 14.
