New York School District Sued Over Claims 'Spartans' Is Symbol of 'White Supremacy'
A Long Island school district is facing a lawsuit over claims its new mascot is a symbol of white supremacy. The new mascot: a Spartan.
The first person to file the lawsuit goes by the name of William King Moss III, the Suffolk County NAACP leader. Moss, whose two daughters are students in the district, claims the mascot is not only racially problematic but also anti-woman.
"His complaint contends that in January 2024, the district began collecting ideas from the community for a new mascot through an online survey. The responses were narrowed down to six options, and the district said it selected the ‘Spartans’ after this choice received the most votes," a Fox News Digital report details.
Moss argued that the other options chosen – "Green Machine," "Bears," "Owls," "Bulldogs," and "Eagles" — were not members of an "identifiable or generally perceived protected class," like the Spartans.
The Green Machines, really?
"Spartans are of the identifiable and generally perceived protected classes of White Non-Hispanic in race, White in color, Greek in National Origin, and Spartan or Greek in Ethnicity," the complaint states.
"This symbol sends the message that enslaving indigenous people and excluding women from the military are acceptable," Moss added
In actuality, it does not.
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 12: Michigan State mascot Sparty cheers after a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Rutgers Scarlet Knights on November 12, 2022 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
New York Post columnist Kirsten Fleming asked Greek-American stand-up Ellen Karis, known as the "Greek Goddess of Comedy," about Moss’ gripes with her culture, to which she responded as follows:
"This is going to piss the Greeks off so much. He is going to get banned from every diner on Long Island. He will never get a feta cheese omelet ever again."
Karis, whose family is from Sparta in Greece, said the warrior represents universally appealing values. "Everything about being a Spartan is amazing. You take no crap. You’re strong, You’re disciplined," she added. "You will fight for your friends and family."
For background, the district adopted the Spartan mascot following a state ruling that required Brentwood to drop its previous mascot, the Indians, claiming it was offensive to Native Americans.
The school board did, however, defend its decision to become the Spartans in an alleged email sent in December. The board argued that the team name was used by over a dozen school districts in New York and denied that Spartans implied any "particular ethnic group."
And those dozen school districts will be next. Brentwood is only the first of many targets, using the Spartan moniker. We all know how this ends: with Michigan State one day having to change its name to something like the Green Machines or Owls.