Let’s help the Bellefonte Area School District have a better mascot.

Update: School Board to Discuss Name Change on April 27

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for your community advocacy. It took a strong community effort to make this change happen last night, and we appreciate all of your effort in this victory that was over 30 years in the making. Progress is difficult. Change is hard even for those who welcome it, but we all grew as a community last night. The Native American image has been successfully retired, and the future is bright! However, on April 27th we will still need to rise as a community once again to support a name change. We are expecting strong opposition during the next meeting and so every voice is needed to support this change.

The name change is important so the imagery that we have now retired can never again be related to the name “Red Raiders.” Bellefonte is known for many things, and we now need community support and involvement in figuring out potential name replacements that are actually, factually linked to this beautiful, interesting, and historic area. It’s an exciting learning opportunity to dig into Bellefonte’s past and artifacts to find a name that can make our district proud for upcoming students, current students and alumni near and far.

Please continue to reach out to your friends, your family members and your neighbors to support this change. Come up with some ideas and register to speak at the next board meeting held on Tuesday, April 27th at 6pm. Please also feel free to connect on the Facebook page or by emailing BetterBellefonteMascot@gmail.com with comments, issues or ideas. YOUR involvement is important. We, the Bellefonte community, need EACH and EVERY one of you to help support and be a part of this achievement.

Registration for the meeting is expected to be available on the school district website.

Thank you and see you at the next board meeting!

The Better Bellefonte Mascot Team

The Bellefonte Area School District uses the mascot of a Native American “Red Raider.” This mascot is racist and does not represent the values of our community.

This website thoughtfully presents abundant reasons, resources, and evidence for why the “Red Raider” is an unsuitable mascot for our schools.

Use the menu at the top of this page to access these resources, including history, testimonials, and supporting cases.

UPDATE: on April 13, the Bellefonte Area School District Board of Directors voted to retire the use of Native American imagery. The use of the name “Red Raider” is still being considered.

Read more in the following article by the Centre Daily Times: Bellefonte board votes to retire ‘Red Raider’ imagery

Facebook Group

A Facebook group recently formed to help Bellefonte have a better mascot.

The group is being moderated for civil and respectful conversation, and we encourage people to join this group as long as they are committed to respectful dialogue.

Updates:

• “Get Involved” Section AddedOctober 29, 2020
  A single page with ways that you can get involved and connect with others. Look for the “Get Involved” page, under the “Resources and Evidence” menu option.
• “Inside the dispute of whether to change Bellefonte Area School District’s ‘Red Raider’ mascot”August 19, 2020
  Here’s a link to an August 18 article by the Penn State Daily Collegian: “Inside the dispute of whether to change Bellefonte Area School District’s ‘Red Raider’ mascot” For more than two decades, Bellefonte alumni and residents have sought to change the school’s mascot to be more inclusive and respectful. This article highlights that history,… Read more: “Inside the dispute of whether to change Bellefonte Area School District’s ‘Red Raider’ mascot”
• Schools Addressing Racism Expressed in MascotsAugust 5, 2020
  Recently, schools across the country have decided to discontinue the use of racist Native American mascots, demonstrating that it is reasonable to expect school leaders to simultaneously protect students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and to take steps to address racism. Examples include: Anderson High School Clinton High School Lane Tech College Prep North… Read more: Schools Addressing Racism Expressed in Mascots
• New School Board VideoJuly 15, 2020
  Video of July 14 school board meeting added to “News Coverage” section (Added July 16) It’s also available below: The public comment period begins at the 25:15 mark. The board’s discussion of the mascot begins at the 2:40:54 mark. Viewers may also be interested in comments made during the approval of the agenda (at the… Read more: New School Board Video
• More Supporting Cases and Statements AddedJuly 9, 2020
  Several studies added to Supporting Cases and Statements, under the “Studies and Research” tab: “Dog whistle mascots: Native American mascots as normative expressions of prejudice”“Reclaiming Native Truth – A Project to Dispel America’s Myths and Misconceptions”“The ‘Mascotting’ of Native America: Construction, Commodity, and Assimilation” A link to a study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School… Read more: More Supporting Cases and Statements Added

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