Last semester, I studied abroad in Thailand. For me, the biggest culture shock was that I could no longer cross the road — the city we were in was notoriously bad for pedestrians — but the one thing that hurt me the most was the prevalence of swastikas.
Before going to Thailand, I was aware that I would likely see the Hindu swastika. The Hindu swastika looks almost exactly like the Nazi version, except it sits flat on one side and often has four dots. The Hindu swastika came first, and then the Nazis stole it. I was aware of this history before I studied abroad, and even if I hadn’t been, I did an internship where my supervisor would give an explanation to tourists daily. This explanation heavily featured drawing both versions on the whiteboard. What nobody could prepare me for, however, was the sinking feeling when he actually drew it.
I am Jewish. My family is Jewish. I cannot begin to express the feelings of fear, grief and rage that burn in me every time I see a swastika. Swastikas are the most famous Nazi iconography, but they were not the only symbols the Nazi regime used. Like the swastika, the Iron Cross is used frequently by contemporary neo-Nazis and creates the same emotions in me.
Unfortunately, the Iron Cross looks very similar to Grinnell’s Honor G. Plenty of people have told me that they think the two symbols look completely different, but they can also look very similar.
Variations on the iron cross had been used by the German military since 1813, so I doubt that the Nazis were intentionally invoking the Honor G when they started using it. What I mean by this is that the Honor G was not originally an antisemitic symbol. Grinnell has been using this symbol since 1892, just three years after Hitler was born. So yes, this style of symbol existed before being co-opted by the Nazis. I have heard people argue that using the Honor G is an act of reclaiming it, but the symbol will always remind me of the Nazis.
Swastikas are religiously important and are often depicted in places with long histories of using swastikas and very, very small Jewish populations. Grinnell has a large Jewish population and, quite frankly, not enough of a reason to keep the Honor G.
I am not a student athlete at Grinnell, but I have participated in synchronized swimming. For one of our first big performances, most of the other participants wore the Grinnell College swim caps with the symbol on them. I tried to wear one, but the moment I put it on, it made me feel sick. I absolutely could not wear it for the show. I realize you may think this makes me overly sensitive, but please understand that for me, this symbol is not removable from the context of the Holocaust.
Luckily, we already have a solution — the Laurel Leaf icon. Not only does the Laurel Leaf icon look better, it’s also not associated with horrific attempted genocide of my people and so many other peoples.
In the comments of an S&B article about the Honor G published last year, one person who identified themselves as an alum from a Jewish background wrote that “the Honor G represents not only pride but a symbol of the Grinnell community.” I want this person to understand that this is not a symbol that stands for pride for me. For me this is a symbol that says I do not belong in the Grinnell community. I love being a Grinnellian, but our continued use of the Honor G disgusts me.
I know I am not alone in this. As the vice president of Chaverim, and a student with deep academic interest in Jewish studies, I have had countless Jewish students, prospective students, faculty and staff tell me that the symbol appears to them as a hate symbol. We cannot live up to our values of diversity and social responsibility while continuing to use this symbol.
Another commenter on the article quoted the Anti-Defamation League’s page on the iron cross that explains, “…the use of the Iron Cross in a non-racist context has greatly proliferated in the United States, to the point that an Iron Cross in isolation (i.e., without a superimposed swastika or without other accompanying hate symbols) cannot be determined to be a hate symbol.”
But is that what we really want? Do you really want to defend the Honor G as a “symbol of pride” because it’s technically not a hate symbol, even if it looks like one? Do you really want to wear Grinnell merch with the understanding that you may have to reassure people that no, you’re not a Nazi?
This isn’t even the first time this has been a specific issue. During World War II, the Honor G was removed due to its similarity with the iron cross and replaced with torches symbolizing liberty. In the 1940s we recognized that this symbol was shockingly similar to the imagery of our enemies, and we removed it. So, if you want to keep the Honor G, I will ask you, what has changed? Because the symbol hasn’t.
Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach • Dec 15, 2024 at 10:20 am
I’m glad to see more students speaking out on a topic that seems always to be pushed to the margins. Just as a reminder, see Henry Horn’s article from April 2024 “Coaches say they were asked to remove Honor G logo from gear and uniforms as College reassess branding” – in fact, the removal never happened.
Billy • Dec 19, 2024 at 10:40 pm
I don’t think it’s in any way accurate to say that the removal of the Honor G “never happened”. Here’s why:
1. The Honor G’s removal is not and will not be a quick process. Yes, there are things the College can immediately do to facilitate its removal, such as replacing it on grass fields, ordering new uniforms that don’t have the logo, etc. However, there are also things the college can’t do immediately concerning its removal, such as removing it from Darby Gym’s floor, removing the huge one next to the timing board at the pool, and removing it from all our championship banners in Darby Gym.
Removing the logo is not only a time-consuming process, but also a very expensive one. Remember the aforementioned things that the college can’t take care of right away? These are mainly due to financial issues the logo’s removal poses for the College. In his musing #1260 entitled
“The (Dis-)Honor G”, CS professor Samuel Rebelsky says, “I realize that there are, perhaps, financial issues at play. Some alums are likely incredibly fond [of] the Honor G and might withhold donations if we eliminated it. And the process of removing it from campus will likely be expensive, as well as complicated. For example, do we change all the championship banners that include the symbol?” Although he then says these issues can be resolved through extended dialogue, the issue of financial problems is still a hot topic when it comes to the logo’s removal.
Rome wasn’t built overnight. It’s simple as that.
2. The S&B article from April 2024 you reference contains this passage:
“’All athletic teams were told that they could not print the Honor G on any athletic gear by athletic administration until further notice,’ [Brian] Jaworski said.” What Jaworski says in this article shows that the logo is actively being removed, completely different from what is being claimed.
The article’s title even flat-out tells you that there is initiative by the college to get rid of the logo (Coaches say they were asked to remove Honor G logo from gear and uniforms as College reassess branding).
To claim that the Honor G is not being removed from campus, and then cite an article that tells a completely different story is ironic on so many levels.
3. Athletic teams on campus have taken initiative to remove the Honor G from their gear. For example, the football team no longer wears the Honor G on their helmets, and instead wears the name “Grinnell” on their helmets with their jersey numbers underneath. The Honor G that was once at midfield was replaced with “Grinnell” written in block letters. Women’s soccer got new uniforms this year that don’t have the Honor G on them, and swimming and diving also got new caps that have “Grinnell” in block letters plastered on them. (most) Grinnell Athletics social media accounts also no longer use the logo.
4. There’s evidence on campus to suggest that the logo’s removal might have been facilitated before the April 2024 article was published. In 2021, the football team began using a logo made up of the letter G made out to look like a football, and in the late 2010’s or early 2020’s, the tennis courts got new windscreens that have the current “Grinnell” logo on them, whereas the old ones had the Honor G on them. Both these moves might have at least had something to do with the distancing from/removal of the Honor G.
All things considered, stating that the Honor G’s removal “never happened” is very inaccurate because athletic teams have taken initiative to get rid of the logo from their gear, and this also will be a long and expensive process for the college.
Billy • Dec 12, 2024 at 10:22 pm
When I first heard about the Honor G’s removal in April, I thought the problem centered entirely around whether or not the Honor G actually resembled the Iron Cross. I believed this mainly due to the article the S&B wrote at the time portraying the issue in this manner, and its need for a non-biased stance on the issue.
I’ve talked to numerous people in the Grinnell community about their beliefs on the issue. Some believed that the two symbols had nothing in common, while others believed that they had similarities and that the Honor G should be retired. However, this only makes up about 5-10% of the issue.
The fact that the logo is simply drawing a large number of comparisons to the Iron Cross is alarming to me, especially when I read about Zev’s thought process when she tried to put on the swim cap but couldn’t due to traumatic flashbacks. That is the real issue here (or at least makes up the other 85% of it). The college’s logos aim to unite its staff, students, faculty, and community, and since the Honor G seems to be doing the complete opposite of that, I can get behind tweaking or retiring it altogether.
Zev, this is a very well-written article, and you did an excellent job of letting me see the issue from a perspective that was the polar opposite of the one I once had.
Alex Linden-Ross • Dec 10, 2024 at 11:04 am
Glad to hear you make your voice heard Zev! People against this should ask themselves why the Iron Cross was removed as a German military symbol, even if its more than a century older than the Nazis. If Germany doesn’t feel comfortable using it because of the associations, why should we?