Organizers of the Cyclocross Crusade, a Portland-based race series founded in 1993, have shelved a new logo design after concerns that it too closely resembled logos used by white supremacy groups.
The logo debuted at a kickoff event for the 2017 season on Sunday and was met with negative feedback from some in the community.
Late Thursday night the organization posted the following statement to their social media accounts:
We released the new logo for the Cyclocross Crusade on Sunday in hopes it could convey the fun and inclusive spirit of our bike race series.
We apologize for not recognizing sooner that the design may be too closely associated with symbols used by those who promote hate, racism, divisiveness and fear.
The Cyclocross Crusade series wouldn’t be what it is without our community. To be clear: yes, you belong. The logo will be retracted immediately.
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I only saw the logo briefly. I flagged it while scanning my social media feeds and planned to post it eventually. I don’t recall the design in enough detail to explain why it was offensive, although based on comments I’ve seen the contours of the new logo appeared to some people to be akin to a swastika celtic cross, a symbol used by white supremacist groups. The Cyclocross Crusade has deleted the new logo from their internet presence.
Community reaction to the move has been mixed; but the majority of people commenting so far support the organization and their decision. Here are a few of the responses:
“It never crossed my mind that it could be misinterpreted. However, looking at it from the perspective from someone who has no idea what Cross Crusade, I totally get it. You see someone wearing a shirt with a logo that says “Cross Crusade” and then what appears to be a variation of an iron cross, the first thing a lot of people’s minds would go to is that it’s some sort of far right wing group. Looking at it from that perspective, I think it’s a good call.”
“Oh for fucks sake.”
“Thank you so much for listening to the concerns of your community even though it meant taking a harder road for your organization. Please know that we appreciate it, and we’ll see you at the races.”
“Thank you for being responsive to the concerns of your community! It takes a lot of guts and maturity.”
“I kinda liked it. Didn’t see anything too alt-right about it, but it pays to be cautious I guess.”
This isn’t the first time local cyclocross race organizers have gotten int hot water with the community due to offensive promotional materials. In December 2016 organizers of the Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships event deleted social media posts and lost at least one advertiser due to what some people felt were a series of sexist Instagram posts.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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