Editor:

 Seven years ago, Scarborough did some soul searching and realized Redskins was not the name they wanted to represent their community and high school. At the time, some argued that the town’s long history of using the name endowed them with an almost innocent right to it, but the town wisely chose to empower its high school students to rename themselves and they chose “Red Storm.”

 Today, there are some in town who want to revert to the old name, to memorialize a past that no longer exists. Like many subdivision streets, the Redskins name represents a natural resource that has been destroyed or displaced through development. But the town, and its residents have changed, and I believe most want a community symbol that affirms instead of denigrates.

 Redskins, frankly, does not feel affirming to a person of color who lives in this town and goes to our schools. Several years ago, when my oldest daughter was in fifth grade, she decided to do her “country” project on Thailand. No way, she declared, would she do her project on China, where she had been born. She was tired of the constant questions and comments that ranged from rude to ignorant.

 However, after displaying her project, she came home and announced, “Well, I should have known, everyone who looked at my Thailand project asked me if I was from Thailand. I should’ve chosen Denmark.” She, who had spent all but four months of her life living in Scarborough, was once again asked to explain where she was from, though she had lived in Scarborough for much longer than many of her classmates and teachers.

 Because Scarborough has been predominantly white for so long, the questions posed to residents of color are often asked with honest interest. Other times, they are deliberately offensive. The racist jokes, overhead in high school hallways, can diminish the hardiest soul. We are a town that is slowly learning how to be part of a global community that can be enriched and made more vibrant by racial and ethnic diversity.

 The subtle and not-so-subtle messages we convey through our questions and our town’s symbols send a clear message of what kind of town we really are and whether we truly respect every resident. On election day, we have an opportunity to establish once again that we are a community of integrity that does not need racist symbols in order to feel pride in our accomplishments.

 Christine Kukka

Scarborough