Melrose Schools, Ready To Move On From Red Raiders, Wants Ideas

MELROSE, MA — The process to change the Melrose mascot is underway.

A survey has been released to the community asking for suggestions for a new nickname and mascot.

"This is just the first step in a longer process and does not mean a final decision will be made based on these results," the survey said.

The mascot and nickname don't need to be the same, and the Red & White will remain.

The survey comes more than two months after Melrose High Principal Jason Merrill said the time is now to drop the Red Raider mascot.

"...We know that the red raider has also been depicted as a viking, a bandit, and even has ties to a WWII fighter squadron," Merrill said. "But, I simply cannot deny the connection between the red raider or raider and offensive Native American imagery."

The origins of the Red Raider and Native American references in the athletic program are murky, but have existed for decades. The district already dropped the feathers from its "M" logo in 2016, an image fashioned like a dreamcatcher.

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The disagreements around moving on from the Red Raider have already started. An attorney representing a group of residents sent a letter challenging Merrill's authority to unilaterally change the mascot, saying it is a School Committee issue. The residents wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution toward their school-aged children, according to their attorney, Louis Kroon II, who also identified as a "concerned Melrose resident."

Melrose is only the most recent district to make moves away from logos, mascots and nicknames with Native American imagery. Wakefield earlier this year dropped its Native American logo in a move that tore through the community; shortly after School Committee made it official, voters broke in favor of keeping the logo in a nonbinding referendum.

Efforts have been made at the state level to ban Native American imagery from schools amid an outcry from Indigenous people who say they are offensive and fail to honor their history. A bill, sponsored by Sen. Jason Lewis, has been favorably recommended by Joint Committee on Education and sits in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Any potential action on it isn't likely for several months still.

A number of school districts have used Native American references in Massachusetts — itself named for the native people who lived here. The Massachuset tribe was nearly wiped out by the mid-17th century.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and Instagram at Melrose Happening. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.