The Radnor School Board voted Sept. 2 to drop the nickname Radnor Raiders, and any related Native American imagery, writes Jeff Gammage for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The decision follows student protests and a long community debate.

“This erasing of our [Radnor] culture truly breaks my heart,” Robin Dugan wrote to the board.

Chip Graham, of Wayne, had a mixed observation, believing the decision should be guided by the wishes of Native peoples, but pointing out that “if we erase all of the Native American names, how does that recognize them? Cancel culture has gone too far.”

The Raiders nickname comes from the 1930s with no connection to Native Americans, according to board member Nancy Monahan.

Others felt that the name is offensive no matter its origins.  The family of former Radnor teacher and coach Emerson Metoxen, of the Oneida Nation, had opposed it, they noted.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board recently voted to get rid of its high school’s Indian sports logo and nickname following a student campaign and the national Black Lives Matter protests in June.

There are about 64 Pennsylvania public schools today that still use Native American names and imagery.

Read more about Native American mascots in Pennsylvania public schools here.

You Might Also Like                            

2 Delaware County Communities Wrestle With a History of Native American Sports Mascots

Man Sentenced in Delaware County Robbery Settles Lawsuit for a Prison Sweat Lodge

Softball’s California Pipeline Brings Native American to Wilmington University