Birdville ISD votes to remove Richland High’s Rebel mascot, Confederate imagery
Correction: Comments by Debbie Lewis were incorrectly attributed in an earlier version of this story. Updated at 4:30 p.m. 6/22/20.
After nearly 60 years, Richland High School will do away with its Rebel mascot and related Confederate imagery.
The Birdville Independent School District board of trustees unanimously voted to remove the mascot and themes at a special meeting Friday. This also means the board will appoint a committee to create a timeline for a reasonable and cost-effective process for the renaming of the mascot and related team names.
Some changes will be made in and around the North Texas school’s campus immediately. However, it could take up to a year to complete the transition, according to a district Facebook post. The post did not specify what changes would be made. The board will announce plans for naming a new mascot at a future date.
“Our school’s history should be based on people and not divisive symbols,” said Jack McCarty, board president and 1980 graduate of Richland High School, in a Birdville ISD Facebook post.
This comes after more than 25,000 people signed a petition calling for the removal of the Confederate symbols at the school including a Richland Rebel flag reminiscent of the Stars and Bars, the dance team name Dixie Belles and the spirit team name Johnny Reb. The decision also comes during the hundreds of protests across the country for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Students, alumni and administrators also protested on June 8 at the high school, and on Tuesday at the Birdville ISD Administration Building to “take down the racist brand at Richland,” the protest flier stated.
As each board member took turns talking, the main message they conveyed was that they would vote for the option that made all their students comfortable. Before voting began, it seemed board members had their minds made up on how they were going to vote.
Joe Tolbert, board of trustees vice president, said he didn’t realize how much the school’s symbols were hurting students.
“I ask for their forgiveness,” Tolbert said. “Those things that are hurting you, I’m going to do my best to get rid of those.”
Tolbert said that even in the face of budget deficits and already having to take money out of reserves, the board is committed to using more money from its savings and making things happen.
Before the board voted, district communications officer Mark Thomas summarized the 291 public comments that were submitted via email: 74% wanted to change the mascot and related symbols; 19% wanted to keep them; 6% wanted to keep the mascot but change related symbols; and 1% were neutral.
In a comment for the removal, graduate Rahim Quazi, who attended Richland High in the early ‘80s, wrote that a group of bullies would terrorize him and went as far as creating a life-size doll of him and performing a mock lynching.
He said the school’s symbols condoned that type of behavior.
“It was as if those symbols were whispering in the ears of harassers that it was still OK to dominate a person of color,” Quazi wrote.
In a comment against the removals, graduate Debbie Lewis wrote that it’s ridiculous that people want to change the mascot.
“People need to grow up,” she wrote. “It’s history and for goodness sake, it’s a school mascot.”
Board secretary Kelvin Dilks said in his experience it doesn’t matter what the school mascot is, but it’s about the relationships students make with friends, teachers and administrators during their time at Richland High.
“I raised my hand for a district and the school where all students can be proud and belong to,” Dilks said, explaining why he voted to remove the symbols.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 7:15 PM.
