It’s not over ’til the last Redman sings

Well, there’s good news and bad news in the fight over the Town of Natick’s school nickname, the Natick Redmen.

The good news: After months of debate, during which both sides had their say in support of (it’s tradition) or against (it’s offensive, duh) the name, the school committee voted unanimously to stick to their original decision and dump the racist, sexist moniker.

The bad news: Members of the Redmen Forever committee have vowed to fight on!

Read the coverage in the Metrowest Daily News and the Boston Globe.

The Redmen saga continues

MRP neglected to keep all of you interested in the Natick Redmen issue up to date. A town-wide forum was held on Tuesday. Next, according to the Metrowest Daily News, an attorney hired by the town will assess the town’s liability if it keeps the name. The school committee will make a [hopefully final already] decision on June 16. You can read all about it, including dozens of impassioned opinions both for and against the mascot, here and more here.

If I were a Natick Redman

In a disappointing but not wholly unexpected result, Natick voters yesterday approved — by a 2-1 margin! — a nonbinding ballot question that asks the town’s school committee to take a new look at its decision to do away with the Natick Redmen. The name of the town’s school sports teams is considered by many to be offensive, racist, and demeaning (and, MRP thinks, sexist).

The pro-mascot supporters have two main arguments: it’s tradition and it was not intended to be offensive. As one article states:

Redmen traditionalists say the name is part of town history and refers to red athletic jerseys, not the Native Americans who settled in this Boston suburb in the 1600s.

However:

Football fans wearing Indian headdresses with their faces painted have been a common sight along the playing fields in this sports-crazy suburb. During the debate over the name, bumper stickers bearing the slogan “Once a Redman, Always a Redman” were often seen on cars traveling on Main Street.

MRP finds the tradition argument specious and disingenuous. The actual traditional name of the Natick sports teams is the Red and the Blue; the Redmen name has only been traditional for about fifty years.

As for the other argument — that offense was not intended — as we also know, words have power. Regardless of the intent with which the Natick Redmen were named, we must also consider how the name is now perceived. (Read another article here about what local Native Americans have to say about this issue.)

Well maybe it’s because we’ve been listening to too much “Fiddler on the Roof” at la casa de MRP, but all day I’ve been wanting to rename Natick Anatevka for the 6,000+ Tevyes that apparently live here.

But even Tevye knew which traditions were worth hanging on to, and which were worth letting go. And this, I think, is worth letting go.

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Update 3/27/08: “Natick vote won’t delay Redmen name change”

Just say no to Natick Redmen

So Tuesday is the big To Natick Redmen or Not to Natick Redmen? vote. In an editorial today, the Metrowest Daily News endorses a “no” vote on question #3, a nonbinding referendum which asks the Natick selectmen to reconsider the school committee’s decision to put an end to the controversial mascot.

Here’s a little history:

Back in the 1950s, Natick High’s teams, then known as the Red and Blue, were tagged the Redmen, in part as a tribute to the qualities of honor and courage attributed to American Indians. A mascot soon followed, along with likenesses of Plains Indians in full headdress.

But some people find nicknames based on skin color offensive, however well-intentioned. Last year, after local Indians and their supporters raised objections, the School Committee voted to drop Redmen and look for a new nickname. That prompted loud objections from some tradition-minded Natick High alumni, students and friends. They petitioned selectmen to put a non-binding question on the March 25 town election ballot asking the School Committee to reconsider its decision.

The MWDN’s position:

Natick’s history began 357 years ago, not 50 years ago. One way to honor the history made by Natick’s founders is to respect the call, made by some of the descendants of the Praying Indians, to give Natick’s football team a nickname that nobody will consider a term of disrespect. Voters should let the School Committee’s decision stand.

Read the whole editorial.

Related post: What’s In a Name? 

What’s in a name?

There’s a bit of a kerfuffle here in Metrowest Boston over the Natick High School mascot, the Redmen.

Some time ago, a movement in Natick against the name led to a vote by the school committee to change it. Now another movement wants to bring it to the people, and the town’s selectmen voted 5-0 to put it to a town-wide nonbinding vote on March 25.

As so often is the case in these situations, it’s tradition versus sensitivity (some say PCness), and in a way, never the twain shall meet. For one side, it’s an issue of changing the name — which many find offensive, insensitive, and racist (not many mention that it’s also sexist) — to something that everyone can be proud of. For the other side, it doesn’t seem to matter what the issue is, they want to stick by the name, whether it’s the Natick Redmen or the Natick Doodlebugs.

A commenter on a local message board suggested, “Sometimes a name is just a name, not a political statement.” What do you think?

More on boston.com, wickedlocal.com, and NECN.

Photo from boston.com.