The school mascot will remain george 1 —The portrait of George Washington, worn by a student in a Revolutionary War uniform. The school colors, light yellow and blue, will also remain the same.
The school said it would adopt the Revolutionary moniker across the board during the 2023-24 school year.
Why it matters: Institutions are renaming outdated monikers.
The change is part of a larger shift in U.S. sports and beyond, as college and professional teams move away from nicknames based on Native American and Confederate images, a trend marked by the 2020 George Floyd massacre. Accelerated after being murdered.
washington nfl teams Become a Commander in 2022 Nearly 90 years after the slur was used against Native Americans. MLB teams in cleveland is guardian now More than 100 years later, it was named after a name with a similar meaning. In 2010, University of Mississippi replaced Its longtime mascot is Colonel Reb, a Southern planter, and a Rebel black bear.
this colonists The name has been part of the University’s identity since 1926, replacing Hatchetites, Hatchetmen, Axemen and Crummen (for football coach Henry Crum).
Context: Students have been calling for change for years.
The decision follows a year-long community engagement effort that included focus groups, surveys, and a “Moniker Madness” selection process that prompted students to vote in boys basketball.
The university in Washington, near the White House and the National Mall, received 8,000 nickname suggestions and narrowed it down to 10 options that “best reflect the spirit of GW,” The school said in a statement. Students, Staff and Alumni Further narrowed down to four finalists – “Ambassador”, “Sentinel”, “Revolutionary” and “Blue Fog”, named after the Foggy Bottom neighborhood – March.
Opposition to the Colonizer moniker erupted in 2019, when student groups voted to remove it and formed the “Anything but Colonizers League”. The following year, student organizations sent a petition to the university president’s office calling for a name change.
But some alumni are intrigued by the old name and its connection to the revolutionary spirit that defined Americans during the British colonial era. Opponents argue that colony is synonymous with violence and historically inaccurate.
Georgie Britcher, a white man of Indigenous descent who was on the committee recommending changes to the board, said Revolutionary was “a new moniker to be proud of.”
“I think getting rid of the colonies is the most important step,” she said in a text message to The New York Times. “The name is a more appropriate orientation, in keeping with the school’s community.”
Full disclosure: This alumnus voted for Blue Fog.