Montreal-McGill University’s men’s varsity sports teams will now be known as the Redbirds, the University announced Tuesday.
The Montreal school chose the new nickname more than a year after the old name Redmen was abolished, which the university said was causing pain and alienation to Indigenous students.
In April, the university announced that it was dropping the Redmen name with immediate effect.
Fabrice Labeau, the university’s vice president for student life and learning, said several names had emerged as possible choices, but Redbirds checked all the boxes, including some historical ties to the Institution.
“It creates the balance between a new name, a part of our Tradition and a name that everyone can come together around,” Mr. Labeau said in an Interview.
The Redbirds name was used by ski teams in the more recently by the school’s baseball team, as well as for a fall basketball tournament called the Redbird Classic.
The name change follows a long debate over the old name Redmen, which was not initially adopted as a reference to Indigenous peoples. This connection was established in when the men’s and women’s teams were nicknamed “Indians” and “Squaws”.”
Originally written as Red Men, the name dates back. The school said it was a pay to the team’s red uniforms and perhaps an allusion to the Celtic origins of the University’s founder, James McGill.
Tomas Jirousek, a former McGill student who led the action against the name change, said the new name was a step closer to recognizing Indigenous students.
“It’s not racist, the name doesn’t insult anyone and it’s something to celebrate,” said Jirousek, who is indigenous. “I don’t think that’s the end of this discussion.”
He said there were other reconciliation measures, including investing in Indigenous support services and contacting Indigenous communities.
“For decades, we have seen Indigenous students feel marginalized and isolated on campus. We’ve seen Indigenous communities pull out of McGill,” said Jirousek from Toronto.
“I think if we really want to leave the Redmen name behind once and for all, it means turning to Indigenous communities, overcoming the legacy of the Redmen name, and not just changing the name itself.”
A committee reviewed 1,200 submissions with 230 proposed names and referred the most popular ones for a second consultation with the community. It was considered going with only one name – the Martlets, the name of the school’s women’s teams – but the idea was ultimately rejected.
Hubert Lacroix, Co-chairman of the Naming Committee and former head coach of the women’s basketball team, understood the tradition and meaning of the name Martlet, which also refers to a bird.
“Redbirds works because it connects with the Martlets name,” Lacroix said.
Dimitrios Sinodinos, a McGill engineering student and fourth-year football team member, said he’s excited to be a Redbirds player next Season, and he said his teammates have moved on from the Redmen name.
“That particular name, at first, when I started, I wasn’t aware of the cultural insensitivity,” Sinodinos said. “Now that I am, I’ve realized it’s time for a change.”
Lacroix said a robust process had been put in place to ensure community members were involved in the discussions.
“Once you figure out it’s a name we couldn’t use anymore, move on to the next chapter and try to come up with a name that works,” Lacroix said.
