Crusader Rabbit Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana has announced that, starting with the upcoming school year, it is changing the school nickname from Crusaders to Beacons. This completes a process begun in February of this year, when the university announced it would be retiring its former Crusaders name, due to it being coopted by assorted and sordid racist groups including the Ku Klux Klan.
The surface silliness of this move fades when considering the city and university’s history. In 1923, the Klan, which was highly operative in the city, came very close to purchasing the university. In this light, it’s easy to understand why the university was looking for a different identifier rather than fighting the cultural/historical appropriation game.
But the Beacons?
As the university explains in its press release: “Our new nickname directly connects to the University’s motto, ‘In Thy Light We See Light,’ and represents the Valparaiso University community in […]
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