Bakersfield’s South High School has had a Confederate rebel for its mascot since 1957. Principal Connie Grumling told KVPR she’s now forming a committee of students, staff and alumni to consider replacing it. The rebel’s look has changed slightly since the 1980s. That’s when school spirit was steeped in Confederate imagery – including Jody and Johnny Rebel yell leaders – and we wondered what that was like for Black students. For this audio postcard, FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel reached out to Marcus Hicks who graduated in 1986 and is now a fashion designer in New York.
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