A California high school is facing criticism after changing its mascot from the “Minutemen” to something “meaningless.”
In an effort to be inclusive, the Mount Diablo Unified School Board voted 4-1 to change the mascot of Concord High School, located just outside of San Francisco, California. The board voted to replace the school’s mascot from the historic “Minutemen” militia group which fought against the British in the American Revolution, to the “Bears,” according to NBC Bay Area.
“If changing a mascot will make students feel welcomed, embraced and empowered them to participate more at the school, then I will support this,” said Linda Mayo, a member of the school board.
The Concord High "Minutemen" are no more. The school district's goal is to make all students feel more welcomed. https://t.co/3V5uDfEG64
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) August 18, 2023
Changing the mascot comes a year after a student committee began discussions to change the mascot after the school district reportedly decided “to replace human mascots with non-human mascots.” Concerns over the “Minutemen” mascot holding a firearm were voiced and after a final vote, students settled on the “Bears,” according to the outlet.
The school district has one year to implement this change, which reportedly cost around $200,000, according to the outlet.
While some people saw the mascot change as a good thing, others pointed out why this was a bad idea and expressed their opposing views.
“Before they make big board decisions like this, go and talk to students on campus and see what students really have to think,” Matthew Dashner, an alumnus of the school told the outlet.
Dashner’s mom, Lynette, an alumna of the school, argued the school should be prioritizing what it focuses on, pointing out that the “school is in disrepair,” according to the outlet.
Matt Shupe, the Republican Party chairman of Contra Costa County, where Concord High School is located, described the decision as being disrespectful to “those who fought and sacrificed to defeat tyranny.”
“It’s disgusting to disrespect those who fought and sacrificed to defeat tyranny and ultimately found our great nation, and to add insult to injury, they’re replacing it with a meaningless and trite mascot that viciously murders small animals,” Shupe told Fox News.
