George Washington University To Ditch 'Colonials' Team Moniker

WASHINGTON, DC — George Washington University will follow the lead of other big name sports teams — including the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians — and drop the "Colonials" moniker its held for nearly 100 years, citing the need for a more inclusive name.

In a news release Wednesday, the university said its Board of Trustees decided to discontinue the use of the Colonials moniker based on the recommendation of the Special Committee on the Colonials Moniker. The board and committee said the moniker divides the community and can no longer serve its purpose as a name that unifies.

The university will continue to use the "Colonials" name until it settles on a new moniker, which is expected by the 2023-24 academic year following a community engagement process.

“The board recognizes the significance of changing the university’s moniker, and we made this decision only after a thoughtful and deliberate process that followed the renaming framework and special committee recommendation that considered the varying perspectives of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and athletics community,” Grace Speights, the board chair, said in a statement “A moniker must unify our community, draw people together and serve as a source of pride. We look forward to the next steps in an inclusive process to identify a moniker that fulfills this aspiration.”

President Mark Wrighton agreed, noting that as the university embarks on its third century of existence, it must continue to lead with "values, strengths and the diversity of the George Washington University community.”

“I was impressed by the principled and collaborative approach of the special committee, and it was clear this process was driven by research and robust engagement with the community," Wrighton said. "While some may disagree with the outcome, this process has determined that changing the moniker is the right decision for our university.”

Christopher Alan Bracey, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said the university has evolved over its 200 years. The name "no longer does the work that a moniker should," he said — namely, "unifying the campus," behind its academic and athletic goals.

A task force formed in November 2019 following years of discussion about changing it. The following summer, the special committee was created and tasked with making a recommendation to the trustees board. The panel, which included faculty, staff, students, alumni and more, conducted reviewed hundreds of pages of historical documents, held three virtual town hall events and surveyed the entire university to inform its recommendation.

In its March 2021 report, the committee found the “Colonials” moniker arose "casually and haphazardly" and "sharply divided" the community, with some sports teams even specifically avoiding the word.

"The essential divide relates primarily to different meanings being ascribed to the term 'Colonials,'" the report said. "For supporters, the term refers to those who lived in the colonies, especially those who fought for independence against England and, with bravery, courage, and against all odds, secured democracy for the United States. It embodies the spirit of George Washington."

But for opponents, the term signified "colonizers (both here and abroad) and refers to those who stole land from indigenous groups, plundered their resources, murdered and exiled Native peoples, and introduced slavery into the colonies," the authors wrote.

"These are perspectives that cannot be easily harmonized. And it is the broader, historically based understanding of the opponents and the meaning they attach to the term 'Colonials' that causes significant offense and harm if its use continues," the report said. "Given this offense and harm and given that those who would retire the moniker comprise a little over half of the university community, the moniker can no longer serve its purpose as a name that unifies."

The university noted that history experts believe George Washington himself firmly rejected the term “colonial” in the few times he used it. Researchers also found the term was not used during the 1607-1776 Colonial Era — it was popularized during the Colonial Revival period of the late 1800s and 1900s.

The university has determined some next steps in choosing its new moniker, including selecting a firm to partner with and establishing an advisory committee to develop creative recommendations.

“We have a great opportunity to conduct an inclusive process that will determine how we as a community want to come together around a unifying moniker and showcase ourselves as a distinguished and distinguishable university,” Wrighton said. “I am very excited for our next steps together.”

Other teams that have changed their names or mascots, spurred by large protests, including the Cleveland Guardians in the MLB and the Washington Commanders in the NFL.

Ole Miss retired longtime mascot, Col. Reb over his ties to the South.

The Atlanta Braves also repeatedly changed the team's primary logo, which initially depicted a Native American warrior and later showed a Native American brave with a feather headdress.