After years of debate surrounding the name of McGill University’s men’s varsity teams, the university announced a new name: the McGill Redbirds.
The change will abandon the former name, Redmen, that many students said was a racist reference towards Indigenous people in Canada.
The name “Redbirds” dates back to the founding of McGill’s Red Birds Ski Club in 1928. It also corresponds to Currie Gym’s Redbirds Sports Shop, and the red-coloured birds on McGill’s coat of arms.
A renaming committee was formed in spring 2019 at McGill, after a campaign led by students advocated for the removal of the “Redmen” name.
According to a statement from McGill to the Charlatan, the intention behind the name change was to find a name that was “inclusive, respectful and representative not of one single group, but of everyone within the McGill community.”
When first introduced in the 1800’s, the name “Redmen” didn’t originally refer to Indigenous people but paid tribute to founder James McGill’s Scottish heritage and red hair. However the nickname eventually took on another meaning that was racist and hurtful, adopting Indigenous imagery on team equipment in the 1940’s.
Tomas Jirousek, a McGill graduate who is currently a University of Toronto law student, is a member of the Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta.
Jirousek started the student-led campaign to change the name during his second year at McGill.
As the only Indigenous member of McGill’s varsity rowing team, Jirousek said the old team name cast a dark shadow over him during every rowing practice and competition.
“The Redmen name really came to symbolize that I don’t belong in this type of institution and it made me feel ostracised and isolated,” Jirousek said. “It broke my heart to know that … Indigenous students weren’t having the experiences that our non-Indigenous peers were having.”
Jirousek said he recognized students’ attachment to the old name, but felt that it was impeding McGill’s ability to reconcile with Indigenous members of the university.
“You can’t move to a place where Indigenous students are treated as equal while holding on to a name like the Redmen,” he said.
Jirousek, who became McGill’s first Indigenous valedictorian during his third year, said the renaming was “an empowering moment.”
“It was a statement that we are not alone as Indigenous people and that people will stand with us when … we don’t feel like we belong in these institutions,” he said.
Christa Scholtz, chair of McGill’s Indigenous studies program, said the name change was necessary.
“It’s important for our Indigenous students, Indigenous athletes, Indigenous faculty, and Indigenous staff to feel comfortable at McGill in order to do their jobs,” Scholtz said.
Despite the team’s renaming being a small step towards reconciliation, Scholtz said it is an optimistic sign for McGill’s future.
As the university—established in 1821—enters its third century, Jirousek and Scholtz both said they hope to see further action taken to support the Indigenous community at McGill.
Jirousek said he would like to see more Indigenous professors hired, and a wider range of support services available for Indigenous students.
As one of the few Indigenous students in U of T’s law program, Jirousek said he feels obliged to pave the road for future Indigenous students in Canada.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have Indigenous valedictorians, Indigenous athletes [and] lawyers, and I think that’s definitely captured in this moment, especially at McGill,” Jirousek said.
Featured image via McGill University.
