Village in NY State Gets New Official Seal After Last One Upset a Few People
An Oneida County village has decided to change an official seal that depicted a Caucasian man choking a Native American after an online petition.
The new design however, kind of looks like the old one. Was it the right move?
The Village of Whitesboro is about 80 miles northwest of Albany and has just under 4,000 residents according to the 2000 census, It was founded in the late 1700s by Hugh White, who according to local historians, defeated an Oneida Indian in a friendly wrestling match.
The village's website claims that the logo goes back to the early 1900s. The story is that village founder Hugh White had a friendly wrestling match with an Oneida Indian. According to the story, White won the match thus earning the respect of Oneida people.
In 2015, an online petition demanded that the seal be changed. The petition said that it could be interpreted as condoning violence against Native Americans. Residents voted 157-55 in 2016 to keep the old logo (the old logo had been slightly altered in the 1970s, with White's hands on the Indian's shoulders instead of on his neck).
In spite of the vote, village officials decided to change it anyway, with White's arms now locked with the Oneida Indian's arms like something out of an actual wrestling match. It isn't much of a change, but some are pointing out that if residents voted to keep the old seal logo, then that's just how it should be. Others welcome the change, saying the old one was racist and outdated.
The old seal had drawn national attention from such shows as The Daily Show, as well social media backlash on Twitter and YouTube.