That is not Sparta.
A Lengthy Island college district is being sued over claims its new mascot, a Spartan, is “a logo of white supremacy.”
William King Moss III, a mother or father and Suffolk County NAACP chief, says the Brentwood Unified Faculty District’s resolution to swap its previous, banned, Native American mascot with an historic Greek warrior is offensive to ladies and other people of shade.
“This image sends the message that enslaving indigenous individuals and excluding ladies from the navy are acceptable,” mentioned Moss, who has two women enrolled within the district, to The Put up.
Moss, who filed the swimsuit this month and is representing himself, argues that Brentwood’s new mascot not solely violates civil-rights and state constitutional protections — but in addition sends the fallacious message to college students such his daughters.
He believes that depictions of Spartans as mascots are “racially problematic” and a “image of white supremacy,” in line with the courtroom submitting — an assertion that angered Lengthy Island’s Greek group.
“That particular person is ignorant. Sparta was extra progressive than he is aware of,” mentioned a Greek pastor, who requested to stay nameless, to The Put up about Moss and Greece’s historical past.
The pastor defined that whereas there’s some reality to his claims — Spartans did enslave complete populations and excluded ladies from navy service — he argued the comparability to white supremacy has no benefit.
The pastor defined that Spartans didn’t enslave individuals primarily based on race and as an alternative captured primarily different Greeks who have been conquered in warfare and compelled them into servitude.
He additionally outlined that whereas ladies weren’t a part of the navy, Spartan females really had extra rights than most others within the historic world — together with entry to schooling and proudly owning property — which was not typically allowed on this time interval.
“I feel he simply threw it on the market, there’s actually no foundation to it,” the pastor mentioned of Moss’s complaints.
Moss does have a longstanding beef with the district — having filed a number of different federal and state instances in opposition to Brentwood over time.
His previous authorized actions embrace one case that was dismissed, through which Moss accused the district of discriminating in opposition to him as an worker, courtroom data present.
Jordan Phillips, a 16-year-old scholar at neighboring Bay Shore Excessive Faculty, advised The Put up he thinks the anger surrounding the Spartans is “dumb.
“That’s not what Spartans characterize or what I consider once I see Spartans,” Phillips mentioned. “There may be historical past there, they have been warriors, and that’s what they’re recognized for being.”
In accordance with state regulation, Brentwood and 12 different Lengthy Island districts needed to do away with their Native American mascots by June 30 or lose state assist. The district introduced it might go from the Indians to the Spartans in April 2024 after a student-faculty vote selected the brand new mascot.
The change will price the district greater than $400,000, in line with estimates by former Superintendent Richard Loeschner in 2023.
“You need to do the suitable factor,” Loeschner mentioned on the time regardless of the associated fee.
As of now, Brentwood’s sports activities gear has no depictions of Spartans, with the change set to enter impact subsequent college yr pending the end result of Moss’ case.
The district declined to touch upon the lawsuit.
