Melrose Switches Its Mascot Away From the Red Raiders

Written by Jaya Karamcheti

December 7, 2021

Hundreds of schools, from DI universities to small high schools, have used Native Americans as their mascots. Melrose High School is included in this number, its students and faculty having been called the Melrose Red Raiders since the beginning. While for some, the name Red Raiders has brought memories of athletic victories, spirited pep rallies, or the comfy red sweatshirts they wore to school on Fridays, the school district has come to the consensus that it needs a change. They have decided to switch their mascot away from the Red Raiders and into a new, undecided one. 

But why? The use of the Native American mascot may be popular, but it is also seen by many as racist and disrespectful to the Native American population. By showing elements stereotypical of native culture - for example, dreamcatchers, feather headbands, and names including the word “red” - people develop an understanding of the culture that is far from the truth. The name “Red Raiders”, for example, suggests the skin color of Native Americans, which in reality differed from tribe to tribe, as well as how they “raided” land from the Europeans colonizing North America at the time, although anyone who has taken a history class knows this is false. With these stereotypes, people start to associate Native Americans with that, instead of taking the time to learn about their culture through exploring their traditions or talking to someone of native descent.

Based on the stereotypes Native American mascots present, it seems obvious that people would want to change Melrose High’s mascot. However, it has caused a lot of controversy, and there are many people who believe the mascot should stay as the Red Raiders. Much of this is due to them thinking the name Red Raiders does not refer to Native Americans. “Red Raiders” can also be associated with vikings and bandits, but one of its more positive links is with a group defending our country in Okinawa, Japan during World War II. Believing that the mascot represents one of these groups instead of Native Americans leads these people to believe the mascot is not offensive at all, and they therefore don’t see a need to change it. 

School pride is another reason why many are so hesitant about a mascot change. A mascot represents a school, its sports teams, and its students. Even if a mascot like Melrose High’s has negative connotations, it still serves as a community-building, unifying symbol for the school. This argument has played an important role in the many mascot debates that have happened in the past - an example being in Melrose’s neighboring town, Wakefield. In Wakefield’s last election on April 27, they underwent a debate over whether to change their “Wakefield Warriors” logo - a Native American’s head with a stereotypical headdress. The School Committee had the final say in the end, but the voters actually voted to keep the offensive logo. Why? It all comes back to connections and pride. Many supporters of the logo carried or put in their yards signs reading “Preserve Wakefield Pride” and “Wakefield Warriors Forever” - phrases indicating that they felt eliminating the logo - as racist and stereotypical as it may have been - meant eliminating school pride as a whole. 

While they listened to both arguments as to what to do about their mascot, Melrose High’s administration ultimately agreed with the former rather than the latter. Jason Merrill, principal of Melrose High, acknowledged the “offensive Native American imagery” conveyed by the Red Raiders mascot, indicating a need for change. That need for change is supported by the values emphasized in the Melrose community - one of the most important being the city as “one community open to all”. “In 2016, I said that our #1 goal will be to create and sustain a welcome environment based on kindness and respect.” Jason Merrill, the principal of Melrose High School, said in a letter to the Melrose community on changing the mascot, written August 2, 2021. “That remains our #1 goal and it will be as long as I am here.”.

Melrose is not alone in making an effort to remove offensive Native American imagery from their schools - many others in the Middlesex area have done the same. Although Wakefield’s voters were attached to their high school’s Warriors logo, the School Committee voted to remove it. Watertown High School has changed their mascot from the Red Raiders to just the Raiders. North Brookfield plans to rename themself instead of being known as the Indians. Even national sports teams like the NFL’s Washington Redskins and MLB’s Cleveland Indians have changed their mascots away from Native American stereotypes. 

Right now, Melrose has not identified a mascot to transition into after pledging to eliminate the Red Raiders name. However, they do have a plan to do so and implement it into the high school. A survey was recently sent out to community members during October asking for ideas on a new mascot. Students filled it out during their Crew blocks, and even parents got involved. Another survey will be conducted in November or December after all the suggestions have been looked over and narrowed down. Once a new mascot is identified, the school plans to begin referring to themselves with it starting in the spring of 2022. The mascot will go into full effect when the 2022-2023 school year starts. 

While there is still so much to be done in order to eliminate racism and stereotypes in our society, Melrose has made important progress by deciding to change their mascot away from the Red Raiders. 

Works Cited

"Cleveland's Baseball Team Will Drop Its Indians Team Name." The New York Times. The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/sports/baseball/cleveland-indians-baseball-name-change.html. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

Cornell, Haley. "Melrose Principal Pushes To Remove 'Red Raider' From Mascot." Patch News. Patch News, patch.com/massachusetts/melrose/melrose-principal-pushes-remove-red-raider-mascot. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

"'It's a Shame': Native American Mascot Debate Rages on in Wakefield." NBC Boston, 12 Apr. 2021, www.nbcboston.com/news/local/its-a-shame-native-american-mascot-debate-rages-on-in-wakefield/2353065/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

"Massachusetts School Votes to Replace Native American Mascot." NBC Boston, 22 Dec. 2020, www.nbcboston.com/news/local/massachusetts-school-votes-to-replace-native-american-mascot/2264277/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

"Wanted: New MHS name, mascot suggestions." Local Headline News, 21 Oct. 2021. Local Headline News, localheadlinenews.com/wanted-new-melrose-high-school-name-mascot-suggestions/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.