Zion Chapel High School has been a fixture of the community for over 100 years and has provided quality education to its members. As an alumnus, I can recall so many amazing memories from my years there, however, there are aspects of the institution that have always loomed over it and cast a dark shadow over what would otherwise be a glowing reputation: the mascot, the confederate flag, and the fight song. 

Zion Chapel's mascot, the rebel man, is a clear depiction of a plantation owner and is an overtly racist symbol. It sends a message to other schools that Zion Chapel is a racist institution without even saying a word. In recent years the school has replaced images of the so-called "Rebel Man" with depictions of a confederate flag flying from a sword in a poor act of appeasement, but the reality is that it's simply replacing it with another racist symbol. In addition, the school's fight song "Dixie" is a dated and extremely offensive work tied to the Confederacy. As a former member of the marching band at Zion Chapel, I can recall instances where we were told not to interact with students from certain schools after playing our fight song. Though the faculty never clearly explained why this was an issue, it was obvious to all of us — we were only told so at predominantly black schools. What kind of a message does that send to them? It says that we understand how offensive it is, and we don't care. 

This is something that I believe is long overdue and now I think we might finally have the momentum to affect positive change. I love Zion Chapel. It is a great school with fantastic educators. But these symbols that it has held onto for so long has given it an image that does not reflect positively on it or the community.