Should Meridian High School Change Their Mascot Logo?
I saw a HEATED discussion on Facebook about Meridian High School's mascot logo being distasteful... Should the "Warrior" be removed in this 2021 social climate?
Update: It appears that the "warrior" has already been removed and the logo is now simply an 'M'.
By the way, this is not a suggestion of mine by any means, I'm just sharing a debate I read about online. A friend posted an article about a high school in Woodbridge, VA whose mascot is the "Indians". In the article, the school's principal notes that it was the students who pushed this effort to have the mascot changed.
Our students are extremely proud of our diversity and learn so much about the world through the cultures of their classmates and teachers. I am proud that it has been our students who are demonstrating their commitment to Gar-Field by taking leadership on this matter.
How does this link back to Meridian High School's "Warriors" mascot? Well, the strikingly similar logo, more so than the name of "Warriors" which is arguable less controversial than the "Indians". The logo does have an obvious Native American influence, and in the heated Facebook discussion I read through, there were contrasting points made.
- One angle of this argument states that the "Warrior" is seen as a strong hero and thus, makes an appropriate mascot, especially with the Native American history in this region.
- The other angle says that it's highly offensive and more of a mockery to turn someone's heritage into a cartoon or a mascot.
These two went back and fourth about this discussion to no real conclusion so I thought I'd bring the discussion here. Does the Meridian High School mascot logo present these "Warriors" in a strong and heroic light? Or is a mockery? Feel free to comment on our Facebook page or reach out through the Mix 106 app.