Change The Chiefs: Caldwell Students Call School Mascot Racist – Caldwells, NJ Patch
CALDWELL, NJ — Change the Chiefs? That’s the demand from a group of students and alums at James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell, who are asking administrators to swap out the school’s Native American-themed mascot.
Recently, about two dozen students formed Change The Chiefs, an advocacy group opposed to the school’s current mascot and logo, the head of a Native American “chief.”
Despite the original intent of the mascot – to honor a former, beloved coach at the school – it’s since turned into a racist symbol, the group says.
Earlier this month, the group launched an online petition to nix the Chiefs moniker. It’s gained more than 3,600 signatures as of Tuesday, including the support of Caldwell Mayor John Kelley and council members Christine Schmidt and Jonathan Lace.
It’s also attracted a lot of negative attention, the group reported.
Since circulating the petition, the students have seen ongoing harassment online. According to a spokesperson, they’ve been called “the N-word” and “communists,” been subjected to gay slurs and been threatened with violence.
Composed of award-winning athletes, student council leaders, artists and musicians, AP scholars, various club presidents and National Honor Society members, the group released the following statement about their campaign earlier this week:
“In a community that strives to provide a place of possibilities for all, it is imperative that our actions are reflective of our communal values. As students sit in classrooms and learn about the genocide and ongoing oppression of Native Americans, it becomes hypocritical and wrong to then look down at one’s clothing only to see that exploitation continuing, all while simply trying to show pride in one’s school and community. Caldwell/West Caldwell should be making an effort to be on the right side of history, starting with changing our mascot.”
“Imagine if high schools and colleges chose to have their sports teams represented by mascots, such as ‘The Jews,’ ‘The J*ps,’ ‘The Slaves’ or any group of people throughout history that have been unjustly terrorized, oppressed, and discriminated against,” the students stated. “Now imagine the people who use these mascots to represent their teams are the very descendants of those who did the worst oppressing to these marginalized groups.”
“This is exactly what is happening in the United States with the practice of Native American mascots,” they charged.
According to JCHS alum Annie Bulik (class of 2018), these types of logos often play on stereotypes of Indigenous people as “warlike or violent.”
“Native mascots play a role in dehumanizing Native Americans and not depicting them as a fully dignified group of people,” Bulik said.
The students are asking the Caldwell-West Caldwell school board to change the mascot and name at their Aug. 18 virtual meeting.
The proposal picked up support from Mayor Kelley, who gave a statement about the issue during the board’s meeting on July 15. Kelley said:
“We are in the midst of the largest civil rights movement in history and it is a critical moment of reflection and action. As a borough, we need to reexamine our role in perpetuating systemic racism. Statues, flags, symbols, and mascots hold power in celebrating and memorializing truth, justice and equity. Unfortunately, the Caldwell Chiefs name and mascot do not uphold any of these tenants. Rather, the mascot dehumanizes Indigenous people and reduces them to caricatures and costumes. As mayor, I want the Caldwell – West Caldwell Board of Education and Superintendent James Heinegg to know that we support them should they decide to change the name and mascot. This is their responsibility. To succumb to those who choose to not acknowledge the demeaning of Indigenous people with the continued use of the current mascot would be a terrible choice.”
During that meeting, Jonathan Hawk, a Caldwell resident who identifies as Native American, said he “would hate to see the town get a reputation of being insensitive” and offered support for the name change.
The current push to change the Chief’s mascot isn’t new. In 2005, the last time the Caldwell-West Caldwell school board considered changing the mascot, the New Jersey Commission on American Indian Affairs came to the school board meeting to support the campaign. However, the board eventually decided to keep the mascot.
Some residents still support keeping the mascot, and have been claiming the drive to change it is political correctness gone amok.
According to an online petition titled “Don’t change the James Caldwell High School ‘Chiefs’ mascot and logo,” the drive to replace the school mascot isn’t the same as other social justice campaigns, such as the effort to rename the Washington Redskins football team.
The petition reads:
“With the newly energized movement against racism in the country it is understandable how organizations like the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians are being pushed to change their offensive logos and name. However, the James Caldwell High School mascot does not convey the same offensiveness as the two teams prior. The area of the Caldwells actually was inhabited by Lenape native Americans and having the Chief symbol is a reminder of the history of the area and pays homage to the strong and intelligent people that had been wronged by early settlers. The word ‘chief’ itself is one of the greatest honors one could receive and it represents a leader. As we as a society continue to push for change, we can’t forget our past. This symbol once again isn’t a symbol of racism, but an acknowledgement of our past and a symbol of the strength and power the once great Lenape tribe had. Even though this may not be a statue it should be viewed as one, for it is a monument in remembrance of what tribe was once here and taking it away will only push our history with Native Americans farther into the past to be forgotten.”
Other local residents have echoed these sentiments on the Caldwells Patch neighbor post section. Recent comments include:
- “The name Chiefs does not seem demeaning to Indigenous Americans, instead it could seem like a tribute.”
- “Chiefs is a name of honor, and in my opinion, not derogatory. It would be like calling a team the Generals.”
“This name and logo are not discriminatory nor were they meant to be,” one commenter wrote. “No depiction of a warring faction or ‘Red Skin’ connotation at all. This is a symbol of leadership and honor … Lets take lemons and turn them into lemonade. How about if instead of removing something perceived by the minority as offensive, we use the name and image to promote [Native American] culture. How about a push to educate the children of [Caldwell-West Caldwell] as to the namesake of our teams … Let’s draw attention in a positive manner.”
Other readers have fired back at critics, however, defending the push to replace the Chiefs mascot. Seen online:
- “I don’t need to be Native American to recognize the offensiveness of the name and logo. It’s called having empathy for others who are different than yourself. Turning an entire race of people into a mascot is demeaning. Our town should strive to be better than that.”
- “I have lived in West Caldwell for several years and have always been bothered by the mascot, and I felt that now would be a good time to raise this debate given that our country and community have shown more signs of racial sensitivity (and vice versa unfortunately also signs of racial animosity). My daughters will attend James Caldwell High School someday so I’d like to try to make the school a better place before they get there.”
WHO WAS HARRIS ‘CHIEF’ BONNEL?
At the July 15 meeting of the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education, Danny Romano, director of the district’s athletic department offered a brief history of the school’s mascot.
According to Romano, the Chiefs name was created to honor the legacy of Harris E. Bonnel, a former football, basketball and baseball coach at JCHS. Bonnel got the nickname “Chief” from a Native American community leader during a high school assembly for his efforts to educate students on the experiences of Indigenous people.
Originally, the Chiefs logo didn’t use any Native American symbols. However, over time, Indigenous imagery began to work its way into the logo.
The use of this imagery is what’s “problematic,” according to Caldwell Councilman Jonathan Lace, who suggested that the school get rid of the Native American symbols but keep the “Chiefs” name, which he said is not “intrinsically racist.”
According to Lace and fellow council member Schmidt, even though the intention of the mascot was to honor Coach Harris “Chief” Bonnel, it doesn’t mean the school can turn a blind eye to the new way it’s perceived.
“We believe that revision of the Chief’s logo is warranted,” Schmidt and Lace said in a joint statement.
“Numerous scientific studies and academic reports have been published that repeatedly point to the psychological harm to Native Americans and the racism that this kind of stereotypical imagery fosters,” the council members said.
“In fact, rather than honoring Native Americans it runs the risk of creating a racially hostile educational environment, and recent incidents confirm this finding,” Schmidt and Lace continued. “We believe that recognizing Native American concerns regarding use of their imagery in non-native contexts will be a positive way for the Caldwell Chiefs to honor the legacy of Coach Bonnel by building a community of greater equality and respect.”
It’s a point that Sam Mulick, a JCHS class of 2020 graduate, agrees with.
“No matter the initial intent in creating this mascot, the connotations and relation to the exploitation of Native Americans has already been established,” Mulick said. “Many Native American individuals, tribes, organizations and more have spoken out against the practice of Native Americans as mascots, and the JCHS mascot in particular.”
The Caldwells aren’t the only municipalities in Essex County that have been seeing renewed debate about race and public imagery.
In June, West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi announced that the township will remove a monument to Christopher Columbus from a local intersection because it is “divisive” and a “symbol of hate and oppression.”
Later that month, Newark officials announced that a statue of Columbus has been removed from Washington Park.
“The removal of this statue should not be perceived as an insult to the Italian American community,” Mayor Ras Baraka said. “It is a statement against the barbarism, enslavement and oppression that this explorer represents.”
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