The debate continues over an East Bay school’s mascot.
Concord High School’s minuteman has sparked outrage for months and now, parents are demanding the name stays, but with modifications.
It's a historical symbol dating back to the American revolution.
“Minutemen had a proud history, they weren't just men, there were women, there were African Americans,” said parent Julie Lyster.
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But the fact that it’s an armed man, is a problem for others.
“Some of the brutality, them being a militia,” said Julene Mackinnon, Concord High principal.
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The school has been trying to change its mascot for over a year now following a district decision to replace human mascots for non-human mascots.
“I'm a former minuteman. That's my history. I went to school here, graduated class of ‘91 but I also want to make sure that we have a mascot that represents everyone,” said Mackinnon.
Last year, they were closing in on the crocodiles. But that never went through due to transparency issues and a lack of student involvement.
This year, there was a student survey.
A total of 500 out of more than 1,100 students participated and leading the poll are the bears.
“Out of the 500 that voted only 190 voted for the bears, so I don’t think the students are excited about either,” said a parent.
“They were never given an option to make adjustments, make changes to the mascot to become more inclusive,” said Lyster.
Parents have been speaking out against the change for months. They believe the mascot measure adopted in 2021 gives schools the option to change their mascot.
So the goal is to merely modify the image, by eliminating the weapon and adding a woman to keep a symbol they believe shows their patriotism.
On Wednesday, those against the mascot change will have an opportunity to present their case to the school board. Then students will have their own presentation.
The goal is to have a final decision within the next few weeks.
