Petitions Duel Over Toms River Schools' Indian Mascots

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The debate over the use of Native Americans as school mascots has landed in Toms River, sparking dueling petitions over whether the Toms River Regional schools should continue to use the mascots in its schools.

Toms River High School South, the district's oldest school, has had an Indian as its mascot for much of its 130-year history. Students don feathered headdresses and a teepee is put up near the end zone at football games, and graduates hear an oft-repeated phrase as they depart the school for their future: Once an Indian, always an Indian.

"It's time for Toms River Regional Schools to retire all racially insensitive mascots depicting indigenous Americans," the petition to change the mascots says. "With many people awakening to racial injustice due to current events, now is the time to stand in solidarity, right the injustices in our own communities, and show our school pride and respect for indigenous Americans in a meaningful way that inspires future students." That petition had just under 800 signatures as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

"My whole family went to Toms River South and not once did we ever think it was dishonorable or a disrespectful shot at the American Indians," wrote Michele Van Nortwick, whose petition to keep the Indians mascot had garnered more than 2,000 signatures as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

A second petition urging the district to keep the Indian mascot had 270 signatures as of 5 p.m. All three petitions were on the Change.org website.

"I haven't had a minute to even begin to process this issue," Toms River Superintendent David Healy said Tuesday. "We receive communications from both camps in terms of positions, (and) such discussions will be had with the board and administration and community."

The petition to remove the Native American mascots from the Toms River schools arose as Washington Redskins majority owner Daniel Snyder announced the Redskins nickname and logo will be retired, after 87 years. The nickname has been assailed for much of the last 15 years, but FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo all threatened to pull their sponsorships if Snyder didn't agree.

Washington's announcement of the change has been met with both support and criticism, with nearly 12,000 comments on the team's Facebook post.

A similar passion exists for the Indians nickname.

"Hundreds of years of History, Spirit, Pride and Tradition down the drain because people are suddenly getting offended when this wasn’t an issue years ago," Van Nortwick said on her petition. "Toms River South has been known as 'The Home of the Indians' since 1891 and to change the mascots of such a historic school seems unimaginable."

"The Indian is a representative of everything good in our country," wrote Aaron Lopez, who started the second petition to keep the mascot. "He's the best representative of our school, and I am not going to sit idly by and let him be destroyed by people who have taken the anti-racist agenda way too far."

"He's not just for entertainment, he represents something greater," Lopez said.

The debate over Native American nicknames and mascots has been intermittent over the last 15 years across the country. But the pressures in 2020 have escalated amid a national discussion on racism.

It is that discussion that's cited by the alumni who started the petition to remove Indians from Toms River South — along with Seminoles as the Toms River Intermediate South mascot and Warriors at Washington Street Elementary School.

"History shows the indigenous Lenni Lenape tribes were brutally killed by early Americans who brought disease and forcibly relocated them out West," the petition read. "It's time we admit that race is not a mascot, and that the glorified depiction of a 'Fighting Indian' is a dangerous whitewashing of history."

"With many people awakening to racial injustice due to current events, now is the time to stand in solidarity, right the injustices in our own communities, and show our school pride and respect for indigenous Americans in a meaningful way that inspires future students," the petition reads.

That petition says the National Congress of American Indians has been critical of the practice of using Native Americans as mascots: "Indian mascots and stereotypes present a misleading image of Indian people and feed the historic myths that have been used to whitewash a history of oppression."

Patch reached out to the leadership of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe in New Jersey seeking comment on the matter.

The Toms River Regional Board of Education was scheduled to meet Wednesday evening and was anticipated to discuss the matter.

The alumni group rejected the assertions of some that tradition should be respected.

"By addressing the issues of our schools' mascots, we can take a huge step in eliminating racial prejudice in our schools and community," the alumni petition said. "While school officials claim their intentions are good and that the namings are a sign of respect, tradition is no excuse for racism of any kind. The education we received at Toms River Regional has taught us this much, so let's stand together and right this wrong. Together, we can create the change that we want to see. We Are TR."

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