George Washington University scraps ‘Colonial’ nickname due to student backlash

George Washington University’s sports teams changing their nickname from the ‘Colonials’ to the ‘Revolutionaries’, the school announced in a statement Friday. “The historically, negatively-charged figure of Colonials has too deep a connection to colonization and glorifies the act of systematic oppression,” a student petition read. The new name will go into effect in the 2023-24 academic year.