Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi, made the decision to change their mascot for several reasons. The previous mascot, Colonel Reb, had become a source of controversy and was seen by many as a symbol of the South's racist past. The university wanted to move away from this divisive image and create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and visitors. The change in mascot also came as a response to the growing pressure from students and alumni who felt that Colonel Reb did not accurately represent the university's values and commitment to diversity. Many felt that a mascot should be a unifying symbol rather than a divisive one. In 2003, the university announced that they would no longer use Colonel Reb as their official mascot, and a selection process was initiated to find a replacement.
‘Retire the Rebel’: Campaign seeks to remove Confederate-themed nickname from Indiana school
The nickname “Rebels” for the sports teams at Southwestern High School in Hanover, Indiana, has nothing to do with the Confederacy, school officials there have long claimed.
The school superintendent, in fact, says the name came from the iconic 1955 James Dean movie Rebel Without a Cause.
But that makes little difference to Julie Patterson, an alumnus who started a campaign to “Retire the Rebel” after her comment about the nickname “blew up” a school alumni page on Facebook.
“If you’re a person of color, I would imagine that the Rebels would color your thinking about what kind of town you’re moving to,” Patterson told the Southern Poverty Law Center. “It’s a signal. It talks about your community. Why wouldn’t you want to change it so that everyone feels welcome here? Why remain so stagnant?”
The fact is, regardless of the nickname’s origin, Confederate imagery was used in association with it almost immediately after the school opened in 1960 – in the midst of the civil rights movement – and continued to be used for many years, according to WFPL radio, an NPR affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky.
WFPL reported that the school’s 1963 yearbook featured a Confederate soldier on the cover and that there were “more obvious references coming in the 1980s and 1990s,” including several depictions of the Confederate battle flag. A Confederate soldier had also appeared on the 1962 yearbook cover, Patterson said.
A 2019 graduate who played in the pep band told WFPL that a “Colonel Reb” character was sometimes depicted on flags waved by students at sports events and that it wasn’t uncommon to see students wearing clothes with Confederate symbols. Nowhere to be seen was any kind of James Dean likeness.
Patterson’s campaign comes at a moment of national reckoning over race and the country’s history of white supremacy – and schools and sports teams across the country are grappling with issues involving their names and what they symbolize.
And though Hanover officials continue to resist, change is happening elsewhere – even in the city known as the “cradle of the Confederacy.” In Montgomery, Alabama, students and other advocates last year persuaded the school board to change the names of three high schools named for Confederate leaders and soldiers.
The changes are also happening at the college and professional levels. The University of Mississippi, known as “Ole Miss,” retired its longtime mascot, Colonel Reb, in 2003. And in the National Football League, the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins now calls itself the Washington Football Team, pending the selection of a new nickname that does not denigrate Indigenous people.
These changes are being driven by people like Patterson who refuse to accept the status quo, even when they risk significant backlash in their communities.
In 2003, the university announced that they would no longer use Colonel Reb as their official mascot, and a selection process was initiated to find a replacement. The university eventually settled on a new mascot called the "Rebel Black Bear", which was unveiled in 2010. The new mascot was chosen to reflect the state's natural heritage and to celebrate the university's connection to the local wildlife.
Reckoning with racist mascots
Patterson, 42, grew up in Hanover and has a long family history with Southwestern High. It’s where the former educator, her sister and her brother attended, where her nephew and niece attend, and where her father graduated in 1968 before becoming a teacher there.
In 2018, Patterson moved from New Orleans to Madison, Indiana, about five minutes away from Hanover. Two years later, in 2020, she had an exchange with a man on a Southwestern High School Facebook alumni page. The man, who was the page owner, had posted an image of Colonel Reb as the group’s profile picture and said he had been asked to change it. In his post, he wrote that the group wasn’t open to discussion about whether the image was acceptable or not. Patterson replied that it was “the epitome of white privilege to shut down a discussion like that.” She also suggested the school needed a new nickname.
It didn’t go over well.
“People were mad at me,” Patterson said. “I was blocked from the page and sent a message from the man saying he was going to sue me for libel.”
She followed up by advocating for a change in a letter to the editor in the Madison Courier. She imagined a fluffy mascot – one that would resonate with elementary and middle school students and that represented inclusivity, not racism. Soon she was flooded with emails from educators. Most of them were civil. Some were not, like the one asking her to “go back where she came from.”
She decided to launch a campaign – “Retire the Rebel” – and in July 2020 the group presented a petition to the school board asking for a name change and also that the school recruit teachers of color and from different areas. The petition has over 2,000 signatures, she said.
Soon, people in the Southern Indiana town began calling Patterson’s group Communist and Marxist, the same labels given to civil rights advocates in the 1950s and ‘60s. Undeterred, “Retire the Rebel” continued to email the school board once a month, suggesting different mascots.
“We tried to team up with anybody we could,” Patterson said. “Some people are staff members at Southwestern who are interested in the change. But people were retaliating. Some are literally afraid to speak about it.”
Despite the backlash, Patterson said she has made new friends from the project, too.
“I reconnected with people I knew from Southwestern and met new people who were in support,” she said. “My three closest friends are the people who spoke with me at the school board meeting.”
This past summer, the school board finally acknowledged that using Confederate imagery to represent the school was wrong and that people were agreeing with Patterson’s campaign. The school even painted over a mural depicting Confederate soldiers.
But the nickname remains, and the campaign to change it has come to a standstill.
It was seen as a more neutral and non-controversial choice that would represent the university in a positive light. Overall, the decision to change the mascot was motivated by a desire to create a more inclusive and welcoming campus community, as well as to distance the university from symbols associated with the South's racist past. The change in mascot was the result of a collective effort by the university administration, students, and alumni who recognized the need for a new symbol that would embody the university's values and aspirations..
Reviews for "Understanding the Cultural and Social Impact of Ole Miss' Mascot Change"
1. Stephanie - 2/5 stars - Why did Ole Miss change their mascot? More like, why did Ole Miss ruin their mascot! The new landshark mascot is just ridiculous. It's not intimidating, it's not unique, and it's definitely not representative of the history and tradition of Ole Miss. The old Rebel was iconic and had so much personality, but now it's just a generic shark. I don't understand why they felt the need to change something that was already great.
2. Michael - 1/5 stars - The decision to change Ole Miss' mascot to a landshark was a huge disappointment. Not only did they discard a beloved and historic symbol, but they replaced it with something so uninspiring and generic. The landshark lacks the character and connection to Ole Miss that the Rebel had. It feels like a desperate attempt to change things for the sake of change, without any real thought or consideration for the fans and alumni who loved the old mascot. It's a shame to see such a rich and storied tradition reduced to this.
3. Lauren - 2/5 stars - As an Ole Miss alumni, I was deeply disappointed with the decision to change the mascot. The Rebel was a symbol of pride, tradition, and Southern heritage. It represented the history and values of the university, and now that has been replaced with a landshark. While I understand the need to evolve and adapt, the landshark feels completely out of place and disconnected from the university. It's hard to feel the same level of pride and connection with a mascot that doesn't have the same depth and meaning as the previous one.