BELMONT, N.C. — A North Carolina group is continuing its call for the Red Raider mascot to be permanently changed at South Point High School in Gaston County.
The Retire the Red Raider group and Metrolina Native American Society are set to hold a press conference and protest at 4:30 p.m. next Monday, one hour before the scheduled Gaston County School Board meeting.
[ PAST COVERAGE: Group launches campaign to change name of high school Native American mascot ]
Group member Hayley Brezeale said the change is long overdue.
“Native people are the only ethnicity of people that are used as a mascot, and it just makes you question why,” Brezeale said.
Brezeale is a member of the Catawba Nation and a Gaston County native. She did not attend South Point High School but did go to East Gaston, whose mascot is the “warrior,” another Native American depiction. She said she has painful memories from athletic events during her time as a student there.
“We’d go to the football games and everyone is tomahawk chopping,” Brezeale recalled. “It’s inaccurate and it’s something we’ve never done.”
Brezeale said the Retire the Red Raider group has been fighting to have the Red Raider changed for more than a year, but no progress has been made so far. She said she’s hoping Monday’s protest will help spur conversations with Gaston County School Board members.
Channel 9 tried contacting several board members, including Dot Guthrie. Guthrie said she doesn’t discuss school board matters before board meetings.
“Over 2,000 schools since the 1970s have removed their Native American mascots,” Brezeale said. “I just feel like now is the time. I’m really wishing they’d be willing to sit down with us for a conversation and truly understand where these opinions are coming from and be able to use that information to be able to supply a more correct educational standard.”
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