Effort Launched to Change Barnstable’s ‘Red Raider’ Mascot

BARNSTABLE – A group of students at Barnstable High School is pushing for the school to change its “Red Raider” mascot.

“We’ve talked with many people connected to Barnstable High School regarding this topic, whether it be alumni, teachers, students, and coaches, the overwhelming majority has agreed that change is something Barnstable is ready for and needs to do,” said Abby Ewald, a sophomore and a member of the student-organized “Committee to Replace the Barnstable High School Mascot.”

Members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe have also expressed their opposition to the name and mascot over the years.

“For years the Mashpee Wampanoag have stated that the Red Raider mascot is offensive and hurtful to them, not just personally but to their culture as a whole,” continued Ewald.

Ewald referenced a 1995 article that stated 30 members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal council passed a unanimous resolution condemning the use of Indian symbols as racist.

“Even though numerous tribal councils in Massachusetts have put out similar statements, no schools have listened to them,” said Ewald.

Another member of the mascot-replacement committee and a senior at Barnstable High School, Phoebe Gibson, spoke about changing the mascot.

“Some people have offered the suggestion that if the mascot is offensive, why not remove the red from the name and change the mascot to be a pirate instead, then we could still keep the name the Raiders without it being offensive,” said Gibson.  

“While this argument is understandable it is flawed because even if we change the mascot and logo, it would be years before the ‘Barnstable Raiders’ conjured the image of a pirate and not that of a Native American that is has been for decades.”

Gibson went on to speak about the details of the logo and mascot itself.

“Some have made the argument that our current Native American mascot honors the Native tribe’s local to Cape Cod and that non Natives embody the pride, respect, and honor of Native American peoples every time they call themselves a Raider,” said Gibson.

“However, even this is historically inaccurate because the Native Americans on Cape were not even Raiders at all. The tribes on Cape where friendly and pursued peaceful relationships with the settlers.”  

According to Gibson, the group has received numerous suggestions for a new mascot, with the most popular being the “Red Hawks.”

“This is my personal favorite because not only are hawks incredibly fierce they’re also local to Cape Cod and there are so many cool logo options,”

“However there is another reason why ‘Red Hawks’ is my favorite, it actively shows support for Native American peoples.”

Gibson said that the “Red Hawks” name originated a few years ago after a group of Native American people fooled people into believing the Washington Redskins were changing their name to the Red Hawks.

“The name since then has become a symbol of hope for Native Americans,” said Gibson.

School District officials said that the change in mascot would have to be approved by the school committee and is likely to be discussed at the school committee’s August meeting.