Amherst College has decided to change its mascot. The college has decided to separate itself from its Lord Jeff mascot, named after Lord Jeff Amherst, founder of Amherst, Mass., due to controversy surrounding the historical figure.
According to WWLP, Amherst College announced that it will not reference “Lord Jeff” in any official capacity. The historical figure was infamous for giving Native Americans blankets infected with small pox.
“It’s racially insensitive to people of Native American decent or really of any indigenous culture,” Isaiah Lewis, a freshman at Amherst College, told WWLP. “I don’t see how there is any tangible benefit from keep[ing] a racially insensitive mascot, especially at a campus that is so diverse.”
An employee at A.J. Hastings in Amherst, Mass., told WWLP that once word got out that the college was changing its mascot, people demanded more Lord Jeff merchandise.
“We’ve had some items that have the Lord Jeff name on it,” said Debbie Ward, an employee at A.J. Hastings. “We had some dolls that have the image of Lord Jeff as a mascot. A lot of [the merchandise] has sold out.”
So far, possible mascots include a moose, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. (We think the college should combine the latter two and just be the Amherst College Fightin’ Poets.)
