In the wake of local pressure to “Save The Red Raider,” the Barnstable School Committee is considering a vote that would keep the name for its now-retired Native American mascot while the town searches for a new mascot.
When divorced from Native American imagery, the name “Red Raider” could evolve to have a new, inoffensive meaning, School Committee member Joe Nystrom said during a Jan. 6 meeting,
He said he didn’t intend to vote in August to drop the name, only the Native American imagery that has long been associated with it in Barnstable.
“The name Red Raider preceded the Native American imagery, and I feel that it can also move beyond it,” Nystrom said.“Like individuals and towns, I think the Red Raider can evolve.”