I am writing in response to the ridiculous accusations that the combined team name of “Thunder Bears” for Thunder Mountain and Juneau-Douglas high schools is racist. As someone who was born and raised in Juneau, is of Tlingit descent, is a current senior at Thunder Mountain High School, and participated in the vote for combined team names, this is what I have to say.
Growing up, I heard stories from my mother and grandmother of the terrible discrimination, racism and segregation they faced. They depicted stories of my family being beat up, spit on, kicked out of establishments, and, yes, being called racist names simply for the color of their skin. Knowing these stories and wanting to draw on their experiences, I asked my family if they thought the name Thunder Bears was racist. The general response was, “ What’s a Thunder Bear?” When I tried to describe why there was so much controversy surrounding the name, many of my relatives couldn’t understand why. None of them had ever heard of Thunder Bears as a insult. When I told my mother that people were calling the name racist over an Urban Dictionary post, she responded with “That’s stupid, that’s not racist. What is racist is walking down the street and getting beat up by strangers just for being Native.”
I believe that if you want to know if a name is racist toward Alaska Natives, go find one and ask them if they think it’s offensive, and listen to them.
Joshua Quinto,
Juneau