Today, Deirdre Dillon (LCHS Class of 2009) and I (LCHS Class
of 2010) have begun a petition to change Loudoun County High School’s mascot.
Here is what the petition says:
We, the undersigned, call for the Loudoun County High
School mascot to be changed.
In 1954, the segregated white Loudoun County High School
student body chose Mosby’s Raiders as the school’s mascot. Mosby’s Raiders were
the 43rd Battalion of the Virginia Calvary for the Confederate
States of America during the American Civil War. Like confederate monuments,
choosing the Raiders as the mascot was a result of the Lost Cause Movement to
commemorate the South and rewrite history.
A mascot gives a community an identity, and glorifies its
chosen entity. As long as Loudoun County High School’s mascot is known as
“Mosby’s Raiders” or simply “The Raiders,” no matter what positive traits come
with the association, the school will be promoting slavery, the Confederacy,
racism, and white supremacy. These are values we believe future generations of
students should not uphold.
We, the undersigned alumni, students, teachers, parents,
and concerned citizens, believe that Loudoun County High School can do better.
We challenge the current student body and staff to reevaluate the mascot, and
change it to better reflect the 21st century in which we live.
Let’s talk about being a Raider.
The Raiders mascot is everywhere in the school. From morning
announcements “Good morning, Raiders and Raiderettes!” to murals on the walls.
From the names of the athletic teams, to the student spirit section Raider
Riot. Raider Rally, Raider Rhapsody, the Marching Raiders, it’s even the name of the student newspaper, The Loudoun Raider. This
mascot has joined thousands of students together across decades. There is pride
in meeting a stranger and finding out they are a fellow Raider.
As the decades have passed since 1954, Loudoun County has
changed. Our schools and movie theaters are integrated. Major suburban growth
has brought new people from all different backgrounds to Loudoun County. Yet
the oldest high school in operation still proudly cheers on the Confederacy,
whether intentional or not.
Today, I take a stand and say no longer. I do not want to celebrate
and glorify the Raiders anymore. It is time for a new Loudoun County High
School mascot. I call for this in honor of Gene Ashton and Blue Oliver.
This resolution was not an easy one for me to reach. I have
identified as a Raider for over a decade now. I’m proud to be a student of
Loudoun County High School. I’m passionate about it. I wrote a history of the school for its 60th
anniversary. I somehow inspired the restoration of an original school architectural feature that mysteriously disappeared in the 1970’s. One day, I’m even going to
nominate the school to be on the National Register of Historic Places. Its
history and layers of tradition mean a lot to me. So for a long time, I hemmed
and hawed about the elephant in the room – the mascot, the Raiders. I knew as a
student what it was and what it stood for.
But as time has passed, it has become clear to me that my
personal feelings are not what matters. In my sentimentality, I have been
complicit in letting this mascot define me and future students. No matter how
simplified the name is, the original intent was Mosby’s Raiders. It will always
be a symbol of slavery, of white
supremacy, of racism.
I have been proud to be a Raider. I would be even more proud
if we could retire the Raider, and become something with less-racist baggage.
So, I personally challenge the student body of Loudoun
County High School: You are the current owners of our spirit and school. You
have a deciding voice in this matter. What does it mean to be a Raider? And
what does it mean to be a student of Loudoun County High School? Are these two
things the same? Or is it time to find a new mascot that better reflects us?
I want to leave you with a quote by my fellow LCHS classmate
Christian Williams. She wrote this while attending Harvard Law in 2015 in
reference to changing their school’s shield. I feel these views can also apply to the
Raider:
“Advocating to change a symbol does not indicate a lack of love for our school. Quite the opposite; we push for change precisely because we do care - because we are invested in the school and desire its best.
It may seem trivial to push for a symbol to be changed. It may even seem overwhelming because so many symbols in our nation glorify terrible things. But to me, there is a simple rationale: “when we know better, we do better”. While the ubiquity of slavery symbols in America is deeply disturbing, it should not be surprising. The repercussions of slavery marred every aspect of American life. Moving to change these symbols now does not deny affection to our school. Rather, it affirms it. In doing so, we refuse to pass on symbols of oppression to our children. We take the time we have been given, and we use it to make things right.”
Disclaimers:
- I am a white cis-gendered male. I recognize
there are far too many white cis-gendered male voices involved in issues of
race. My hope and intent is that by adding my voice to the mix, I help to
create a positive change in race equality.
-This act should not be seen as a be-all, end-all for racial justice reform.
Rather, it is but one visible spoke in a wheel. The more spokes we take out,
the closer we are to a more just and equal community.
