Description
South Point High School is part of Gaston County Public Schools in Gastonia, N.C. and serves approximately 1100 children in grades 9-12.
The school's mascot is the Red Raider. The origins of the mascot are in dispute, being either derived from soldiers who rubbed red clay on their faces during the Battle of Kings Mountain or adopted from the Colgate University mascot, which was formerly named the Red Raider before being recognized as racially insensitive in 2001.
”Gaston County graduate Isabella Lanford was so offended that she transferred out of South Point”...
”Lanford said going to a game at the school where football is a big deal was unbearable.”
“I remember going to football games and seeing people I was friends with put on face paint and make what they thought were native sounds of war cry,” Lanford said. “It was very disturbing.”
”She transferred and graduated this year from Highland School of Technology and now she wants the South Point mascot replaced.”
— wsoctv.com July 21, 2020
A group called "Retire the Red Raider" is lobbying the Gaston County school board to change the mascot for Belmont's South Point High School.
The raider in question is a red-faced Native American. A coalition of South Point students, teachers, alumni and community members spoke at Monday's school board meeting and sent out a 60-page "policy brief" saying the mascot is offensive, stereotypical and outdated.