Calls To Change Rebel Mascot In Birdville ISD Met With Protest

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HALTOM CITY (CBSDFW.COM) - Alumni and parents of Richland High School students organized a rally at the Birdville ISD Administration Building on short notice.

This came after civil rights activist Reverend Kyev Tatum asked the school board to change the mascot names, saying the symbols are having a negative impact on children of color.

Dozens of protesters showed up in defiance of the request, several displaying Confederate flags in the parking lot outside the district headquarters.

Many protesters pointed out that the actual Confederate flag is not part of their logo, and they hoped to disassociate the word "rebel" from the Confederacy, but others proudly displayed the flag as part of their protest.

"It's a cultural cleansing of the south is what it is," said Allen Hearrean, who supports the Rebel mascot. "They are removing everything that relates to anything that's southern. Pretty soon being a Texan will be racist."

In a statement, Reverend Tatum said, "From the public steps of the Statehouse of South Carolina to the public classroom of Texas, it is time to take them down... Whether it's the Rebels mascot to the Dixie Belles Dance Team to Johnny the Rebel on campus, it is time for the Confederacy to come down."

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