Project Rebel demands for change

Demands of Change: Remove all sounds and symbols of anything resembling or connected to the Confederacy.

We ask that the school board adopt as official policy and fully implement these recommendations under the school/student code of conduct:

› Prohibit/discontinue the song and sound of ‘Dixie’ in any FCHS sponsored, affiliated activities/events, and school functions (pep rallies, sporting events, parades, etc).

› Rebel mascot (the name, symbol, all signage, etc): A mascot is anything that is used to represent a group with a common public identity. The ‘Rebel,’ symbol and name, is a depiction and symbolic representation of a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. At the time of Franklin County’s inception, in the 1950s [before the significant ruling of Brown v Board of Education in 1954], the student body was intentionally composed of only white students. Therefore, the mascot as a whole, specifically considering Franklin Co. School System’s history of overt racial oppression, that resulted in a prolonged period of segregation, does not represent the Franklin County School System of today. The Confederates’ and the ‘states-rights’ which they fought for included the categorization of African Americans as property to enslave, instead of a human being with the capability to fully exercise their rights as an American citizen.

› The school seal: The school seal is designed with stars and stripes that are indicative, via design and formation, of a strong relationship with the Confederate flag. Any symbol(s) that appear connected to the Confederacy, or resemble Confederate symbols, which represents the high school [a public institution] is egregious and should not be commemorated in any sense.