'It's Long Overdue': Twin Cities Doctor Urging Twins To Update 'Minnie & Paul' Logo To Reflect Diversity
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities doctor is urging the Twins to change the team's classic "Minnie and Paul" logo to reflect the diversity of the team's players and fans.
Dr. Charles Crutchfield, the Twins' consulting dermatologist, is asking the Pohlad family, which owns the Twins, to update the iconic logo, which was made in 1961.
"I have always loved Ray Barton's original 'Minnie and Paul' logo design," Crutchfield said, in a statement. "But the time is now to create a respectful and subtle yet very significant update that honors and reflects the team's players and its fans from different backgrounds. It's an easy fix but it's an important one – and it's long overdue."
Since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, the Pohlads and the Twins have made public commitments to racial justice. Through their foundation, the Pohlad family pledged $25 million toward racial justice in the Twin Cities.
On Juneteenth, the team removed the statue of former owner Calvin Griffith from Target Field over anti-Black remarks he made in the 1970s. He reportedly said that the team moved to Minnesota because there was so few Black people here at the time.
During the Twins home opener last month, the team honored George Floyd with a moment of silence and a tribune on the outfield wall.
Crutchfield, who is Black, says his family has a long history of pursuing diversity and equality in Minnesota. His grandmother was the first Black public school teacher in the state. His mother was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Minnesota Medical School.
For his part, Crutchfield was the first Black graduate of the University of Minnesota dermatology residence and the first Black dermatologist to practice privately in Minnesota. He currently serves as medical director at Crutchfield Dermatology in Eagan and lectures at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Crutchfield said he conducted an informal poll online asking people if they wanted a refreshed Minnie & Paul logo, an entirely new logo or no changes to the 1961 logo. Nearly 90% of responders preferred the modified logo.
The longtime season ticket holder offered the idea to the team's administrative leaders several years ago. But Crutchfield says that recent unrest brings the concept a new urgency.
