Richland High School "Save the Flag" Rally

Richland High School "Save the Flag" Rally

High schools
Racism
NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Propaganda, Confederate
Ku Klux Klan
KKK

In 1986 the NAACP took aim at Confederate symbols in North Texas High schools, and Richland High was one of them. The Fort Worth Chapter of the NAACP requested that BISD cease using the rebel flag and the rebel theme. In response, the students held a Confederate flag rally. Shortly thereafter the Ku Klux Klan inserted themselves into the situation in support of the school keeping the flag. TEA ruled that Richland could keep the Confederate symbols and in response, the students put at least one flag on nearly every page of the yearbook. The ROTC carried the Confederate flag along with the American flag. At pep rallies, the Johnny Rebs passed out Confederate flags to everyone. The last football game of the season was dedicated to the Confederate flag, and students painted their faces with Confederate flags. It would not be until the mid-90s that the Confederate flag was removed but the school mascot was still called the Rebels.

In the summer of 2020, the Birdville Independent School District board of trustees unanimously voted to remove the mascot and themes at a special meeting. This also meant that 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.