‘Redskins’ Use Hearing Underway

The week-long hearing over the Neshaminy School District’s “Redskins” name began on Monday.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) hearing began at the Bucks County Community College campus in Newtown Township and will continue Tuesday with the Middletown resident who brought the issue to the forefront testifying.

PHRC attorney Lisa Knight opened the hearing by saying the name was an “offensive racial slur” that “specifically refers to Native Americans” and is “not a positive reference.” She said the mascot may cause some students to stay away from school events, adding the adults have let students down by letting kids dress in face paint and feathers at events. 

Attorney Craig Ginsburg, who represented the district, said they will make the case the school system is not supporting discrimination, noting students do not run around being disrespectful. He said that there has not been any controversy until “some students” raised concern over the name. 

On Monday, Chad Dion Lassiter, the executive director of the PHRC, testified that the term Redskins is generally offensive to indigenous people.

Retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander Andre Billeaudeaux, who has spent time with indigenous tribes and wrote a children’s book about the Redskins name, testified about the name based on his experiences with Native Americans, research he has conducted, and polls conducted by organizations over the past few years. He also used decades old National Geographic magazines to try to determine the Neshaminy School Board’s intention when they coined the name years ago.

Billeaudeaux said that mascots and symbols of indigenous people that are caricature can be racist and inappropriate. However, he said that each case should be “treated objectively” and suggested Neshaminy should focus on reflecting the Lenape traditions and history if they keep the Redskins name.

At the hearing, attorneys representing the school district noted the Redskins use is in name only and a physical mascot hasn’t been used since the 1980s. However, they did not state the reason for the mascot going away.

This week, the hearing will feature testimony from a number of witnesses, including alumni, and even a teacher with indigenous lineage.

The PHRC investigator assigned to the Neshaminy case did not attend Monday despite a subpoena and may not be available until next month, according to statements made by PHRC attorneys.

At the district’s high school campus in Middletown, there is a large mural of a Native American in a feathered headdress and similar imagery has been used in sports programs. It is not uncommon at football games for students to dress up in stereotypical Native American attire.

Neshaminy parent Donna Boyle, who is part Cherokee and Choctaw, filed a complaint with the PHRC in 2013 claiming the term and related mascot caused distress for her child due to their indigenous heritage. Boyle had brought up her complaint to administration and school board members going back to at least 2012 and has made her voice heard from time to time at public meetings.

The Neshaminy Redskins debate has gained attention from national and regional press over the past years. In 2014, there was a nationally watched fight over whether the high school newspaper could use the term and also over editorial control.

Boyle’s 2013 PHRC complaint was dismissed voluntarily in October 2015. However, the PHRC has moved forward with the hearing.

A woman who went by her Lenape name of Bluejay attended the hearing and said she hopes the students are able to learn more about the local tribe. She said she didn’t realize the offensive nature of the mascot until she graduated from Neshaminy and learned more about her heritage.

Boyle, who attended the hearing on Monday, told LevittownNow.com that she hopes the district changes the name and realizes that native peoples are not mascots.

The PHRC hearing examiner Carl Summerson will make a ruling in the case after all the testimony and forward that to the commission for a vote.

No matter the outcome, either side can appeal to state court.