By paNOW

‘Redmen’ name and logo history at Bedford Road Collegiate

Mar 4, 2014 | 11:51 PM

paNOW Staff

The Saskatoon public school board voted to change the name and logo of the Bedford Road Collegiate Redmen.

In a packed room at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night, the sports team name which has been around since the 1920s and the logo which has been around since the 1960s was voted down.

“We’ve come to a point in our time where things need to be changed. We are not really changing the history of the school but an ingredient of the recipe,” explained Trustee Vernon Linklater during the meeting.

“Now we recognize the ingredient is not important enough for the recipe…. We live in 2014 I think it is about time we do retire the name and logo.”

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The original presentation to the board came on Feb. 4. Trustees explained that since then, they had been researching and talking with people invested in the change.

“I think it has been a good process to go through and to have consultations with the many groups we have,” said Trustee Holly Kelleher adding that she had also received numerous emails, calls, and letters.

“The people who I have spoken to who are in favour of keeping the name and logo, it really comes from a sense of pride that they have for the school and the blood sweat and tears that they have put into the sports… I think that that needs to be honoured and I don’t think that those feelings will be changed by changing the name and logo.

With a final vote of eight in favour of change and two against, not all trustees were on board.

Trustee Kevin Waugh argued against the change after he explained that the origin of the name was not rooted in indigenous issues. He also added that his decision came from a discussion that he had with the public schools’ First Nations adviser Darlene Speidel.

“(She said) the logo has actually drawn students in to accept the school of Bedford Road for its culture as it is today. That was a big statement for me from our elder,” Waugh explained.

“As a group that came here just… 28 short days ago I do wonder if we are making a decision in haste.”

In the end it was only Waugh and Trustee Donna Banks who voted against the change.

Public response to the Redmen name change

The boardroom erupted in cheers after the motion passed to change the name. One of the loudest celebrations came from former Bedford and current Oskayak High School Student Andre Bear.

“It’s an awesome step and the Saskatoon public school division is going to be a great leader in this. A lot of people will hopefully follow and realize what is socially accepted racism and how can we change and provide diverse and modern education for all people,” he said.

Bear along with Dr. Alex Wilson, the academic director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre at the Department of Educational Foundation at the University of Saskatchewan made the initial presentation to the board last month.

“I think that they realized that the mascot and the name are archaic and that that reflects on the school board. If they didn’t change it then it would be like making a stance that we are not a progressive city, not a progressive school board, and that education isn’t about moving forward and changing,” explained Wilson.

“I think when they said it’s been only 28 days, it’s not been 28 days it’s been decades and decades… It’s been 28 days since it’s been officially an agenda item for them.”

Wilson said that the mascot issue is just one of many that Aboriginal people face in the process of undoing racism within the educational system, but it is still worth celebrating.

“We always need to acknowledge when advancements are made and acknowledge the hard work that people have done, the school board for doing the work, and all for these young people here,” she said with a beaming smile.

“These young people who went to that school and were afraid to speak at the time and now have been able to come up and speak, I am so proud to know them.”

One of those people is Bedford alumni Erica Lee. She has been publicly working to change the name for nearly three years.

“I am so thrilled that the school board chose to make this decision and I think that it shows that they are ready to turn over a new leaf with relations to First Nations People and students,” she said.

“It still hasn’t hit me I think because we have been working on this for the past three years and before that people have been working on it for decades. To have it at this moment is amazing… I think that the fact that this name and logo is changed now it will give (students) a chance to feel real pride in their school that isn’t rooted in something that is a stereotype.”

It was not only cheers of elation in the room. Many people who had attended and voiced their disapproval of the change were visibly disappointed.

“Personally I feel it’s a victory for fear. As long as we care about this stuff we will keep being divided over this,” explained Adam Lacoursiere who went to Bedford and graduated in 2009.

“This is going to create division, I think that’s obvious. I think we all know that and I think that the sooner that we are all equal and are all the same thing then there won’t be any division any more.”

Lacoursiere said that he felt it was a step backwards.

“If we keep caring about racism, racism will keep existing,” he said.

The school board has said that it will cover costs associated with the change.

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