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HONOLULU, HI (KITV ) — Kahuku High and Intermediate School will no longer be known as the “Red Raiders”–after a complaint called the longstanding logo, mascot, and “tomahawk chop” tradition during athletic events “disrespectful and potentially discriminatory toward Native Americans.”
“It reminds them of the injustices and the historical wrongdoings of these names and the people that are associated with it,” activist Aoloa Patao said.
the Civil Rights Compliance Branch (CRCB), which investigates issues of protected class in the Department of Education, asserted the symbols are “…in fact, discriminatory, as it mocks protected classes…”
“It’s been a controversial issue across the country,” blogger and former Ka’a’awa resident Ian Lind said.
“It’s an issue you can’t escape in this time and I don’t think Hawai’i is exempt of having to face the issue of how do we properly respect the original inhabitants of the American continent.”
Patao agreed that the conversation was long overdue.
“I think it’s important that we don’t put those things to the side, and say that ‘you know, this school has been here for a while, so we just need to keep it the same to make everyone happy,’ when in reality, there’s a huge chunk of people who aren’t happy,” Patao said.
Following recommendations from the CRCB, Kahuku High and Intermediate principal Donna Lindsey sent a letter to the school community on Friday saying the administration will work with a neutral third party, as well as students, staff and parents to designate a new mascot “that is not based on race, color, ancestry, and national origin.”
“It will also be important for these groups to identify ways to encourage our school community to move away from stereotypical representations,” the letter added.
The letter concluded by saying, “Our school’s proud history will not be affected by this change.”
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