Citing ‘racist imagery,’ petition calls for removal of Ky. high school’s rebel mascot

A petition is circulating to remove and replace the Boyle County High School mascot, the Rebel, saying that it is a symbol of white supremacy.

The mascot celebrates people who attempted to secede from the United States in order to maintain slavery, the petition said. The school “has a tradition of excellence that is tarnished by this display of racist imagery.”

Amy Bugg, a spokeswoman for the Boyle school district in Danville, said that officials are encouraging people interested in changing the mascot to contact the school council.

“Consideration of mascot changes begin at the school level with the Site-Based Decision Making Council, and that’s where we’ve encouraged interested parties to start, “ Bugg said.

“The image of a Civil War era cavalry soldier astride a rearing horse with saber held aloft leaves little to the imagination of the unspoken values held by the school,” said the petition.

Alumnus Abby Piper posted on social media that “symbols of white supremacy have no place in education. “

“As an alumnus of @BigRebelNation, I am joining hundreds of others in demanding that the SBDM change the mascot, and that @LaFaversMike and the @BoyleCoSchools Board support the change,” Piper said in the post.

The school’s flag harkens to the battle flag used by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia now widely used by white supremacists, the petition said.

The mascot is a sore spot for many, including students competing under its name and especially for students of color, it said.

To continue to use the Rebel mascot “indicates that the school promotes racist ideology and the dehumanization of an entire class of people,” the petition said.

The reform would communicate to every student that walks through the doors...an openness and acceptance of them; that they are welcome regardless of race, it said.

“This is an action you have the power to take, and we hope there is the courage to take it,” the petition said.”

Bugg said Boyle Superintendent Mike LaFavers did not have a comment on the petition. But he gave the Herald-Leader a statement he issued in June on social justice and race relations saying he was deeply saddened by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

“It is definitely time for us all to stand together in the name of social justice,” he said.

“What does this mean for the public school that I am in charge of? Are all children treated fairly? Can every student pursue their own unique passions and ambitions? Are we nurturing all of our students to our greatest ability? My answer to all of these questions is...yes,” said LaFavers. “However, what I am beginning to realize is that I am the wrong person to answer these questions; a married, white, 52 year old man. My perspective on the world is skewed by my experiences and my own reality based on my upbringing and the places and experiences I encountered along the way. “

LaFavers said he needed to listen and to create situations where students could speak freely and directly to him and others in the district.