George Washington University announces new moniker after backlash

George Washington University Revolutionaries – get used to it.

The school announced Wednesday that "Revolutionaries" will be the university's new moniker, replacing "Colonials."

Last summer, the school drew criticism from students for its original nickname, previously used since 1926, as it was deemed to be associated with colonialism. The university said it "need[ed] to unify the community."

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"The board recognizes the significance of changing the university’s moniker, and we made this decision only after a thoughtful and deliberate process that followed the renaming framework and special committee recommendation that considered the varying perspectives of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and athletics community," board chair Grace Speights said in a statement at the time. "A moniker must unify our community, draw people together and serve as a source of pride. We look forward to the next steps in an inclusive process to identify a moniker that fulfills this aspiration."

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The name change upset plenty on social media.

The calls to change the name began in 2018 after 538 university students signed a petition. The petition said Colonials was "extremely offensive by not only students of the university, but the nation and world at large."

The school dropped the nickname last June, following the lead of some professional sports teams (e.g., MLB's Cleveland Guardians, NFL's Washington Commanders) to change their name in recent years.

The NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, MLB's Atlanta Braves and other colleges have also come under fire to change their name but to no avail.

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The state of New York also ruled that high schools must drop Native American mascots and monikers.