My Aunt from Minnesota asked me recently what I thought of the infamous “name change” at South Burlington I have been quiet up until now about this issue that seems like it’s World War Three for many people of the town of South Burlington, Vermont. First of all, before I say anything else, let me just say that all of this is my opinion. You have the right to disagree with me. But if you do disagree, don’t curse me out, don’t be obnoxious. Voice your opinion in a respectful manner because this entire situation has made me realize how many rude people live in South Burlington. We need to be better than all of this.

Turns out the “Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel” mantra that they told many of us for four years at South Burlington High School wasn’t true. For those of you who do not know, the South Burlington School Board has voted to change the Rebel mascot because of its Confederate ties. The mascot originated from the rebellion that occurred when South Burlington broke away from Burlington many years ago, so therefore the mascot for the district became the Rebels. However, the Rebel name has affiliations with the Confederacy because during athletic games and pep rallies they used to wave the Confederate flag and play the song. Yes, that was about forty years ago, but personally I believe that the Rebel name will always be affiliated and alienate students of color at South Burlington, even more than many of them already are at such a white school in one of the whitest states.

You may be wondering, who is this college student that doesn’t even live in Vermont anymore? I went to SBHS. My parents both went and met at SBHS in the seventies. I have many aunts and uncles who went to SBHS. I have eight cousins who graduated from SBHS. I have a brother and a cousin who are currently seniors, about to be SBHS graduates. My family practically bleeds blue and gray. Why then, do I want the name to change? Because it’s wrong. Because it’s time to move on. Because we need to move forward and be better. As long as we have the Rebel as the mascot, we are essentially saying that we don’t care that we are being racist.

There are other schools that have had to change their names, but they gave no backlash like the craziness that is going on at SBHS. I get that you have a right to be angry and protest that you want the Rebel name to stay, but hasn’t the line been crossed? The budget keeps getting rejected as an act of protest, which will negatively impact the schools and town. Yes, it will cost taxpayer money to rebrand the scoreboards and get new uniforms, but we get new uniforms every few years. Also, we need to accept the name is going to change, so wouldn’t it be better that it’s now, instead of thirty years from now?

What weirds me out is that a lot of the people behind the movement either didn’t even go to SBHS or they graduated already. It’s just high school. That chapter has closed once you graduate and I think that we need to reevaluate why so many people are concerned about a mascot from their high school when they graduated ten, twenty, thirty, forty years ago. I loved being a Rebel. Notice how “love” is in the past tense. Because being a Rebel is in my past.

If you don’t believe what I am saying, talk to a person who has no ties to South Burlington. Tell them that SBHS has Confederate ties. Tell them that the School Board has decided to change the name because of the racist connection. Then, say that the school district is chaos because the people are afraid of change. When I tell people outside of Vermont what is going back in my hometown, they look at me like I’m crazy because they can’t understand why they would care so much about just a mascot. But to many people the Rebel isn't just a mascot, it is a tradition.

I want to build a better future for students who go to South Burlington High School. Currently, I am embarrassed and disappointed in my hometown. We aren’t “Building a proud tradition” by continuing to include a mascot that transports us to the past instead of the future.