Birdville ISD to meet Friday, consider removal of Richland High Confederate symbols
After more than 25,000 people signed a petition, Birdville Independent School District will consider the removal of Richland High School’s Rebel mascot and related imagery on Friday at a board of trustees meeting.
The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Zoom and the link will be posted at 3 p.m. Friday at birdvilleschools.net/Page/30894. Those who want to address the board should email their comments to PublicComments@birdvilleschools.net by 1 p.m. Friday.
If the changes are approved, the board will also appoint a committee to create a timeline for a reasonable and cost-effective process for the renaming of the mascot and related team names at Richland High, according to the meeting agenda. The board wants to “promote a positive and cohesive educational environment for all students,” the agenda says.
Recent graduate Makayla Klie, who is white, started a change.org petition earlier this month asking the board to get rid of the school’s Confederate themes. This includes a Richland Rebel flag reminiscent of the Stars and Bars, the dance team name Dixie Belles, the spirit team name Johnny Reb and the Rebel mascot.
Klie said the wording of the agenda item and the proposed appointment of a committee makes her optimistic that the board will decide to remove the school’s Confederate symbolism.
And while Klie’s petition received attention, she believes action wouldn’t have been taken if the community didn’t come together. Alumni, students and administrators participated in a protest on June 8 at the high school, and on Tuesday there was a protest at the Birdville ISD Administration Building to “take down the racist brand at Richland,” the protest flier stated.
Klie especially credits her school administrators for standing up with students because without the support of those who run the school, she doesn’t know if the board would have listened to the students.
“It’s one thing to have your students come forward and say something, but when your own employees come forward and say ‘we’re disappointed that we’re represented by this,’ I think that’s really powerful,” Klie said.
Birdville ISD did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but on June 9, Mark Thomas, Birdville ISD communications officer, said in an email that “we are thoughtfully listening to our community”.
Most recently in Texas, Tarrant County removed a Confederate marker from the yard in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse. On June 4, a Texas Ranger statue was removed from Dallas Love Field.
Across the country, Confederate statues and monuments have either been vandalized or removed. These actions, coupled with Black Lives Matter protests and the petition, is the reason why 2019 graduate Ali Gleaves, who is Black, believes the board has taken action.
Gleaves said he’s happy this meeting is taking place, but this shouldn’t be the only change that happens.
He believes the removal of the Confederate symbols at the school is the first step. The school must then put policies and protocols in place that will strictly be against racist symbols, actions and words, he said. There should also be more commitment to investigating claims of racism, he said.
There should also be school assemblies that explain the hurtfulness of racist acts and why even jokes can hurt people, Gleaves said.
“I hope that they realize that it’s time for them to abandon these symbols and it’s time for them to choose a new mascot,” he said. “I really hope that they just totally revamp the system.”
