The Times Record reports that about 100 people turned out for Fort Smith lawyer Joey McCutcheon’s rally to save the Rebel mascot and the “Dixie” fight song along with other trappings of the Confederacy at Fort Smith Southside High School.


KFSM’s coverage shows the crowd. It isn’t big. But it is angry.

Presumably the Fergit Hell! crowd will muster similar numbers for a School Board meeting Monday night at which a vote is expected on finally phasing out he Confederate symbolism, which was intended from the school’s construction in the 1960s to reflect embedded resistance to school desegregation in the South. The school itself remained de facto segregated for years.

Advertisement

Photo coverage shows no black people in the crowd. The crowd included “heritage” defenders from Greenwood.

Coverage quoted McCutcheon:

Advertisement

“I don’t want our symbols changed,” attorney and 1981 Southside graduate Joey McCutchen said. “I know it’s part of who I am. Our students don’t see it as a racial symbol and never have.”

Indeed, slavery, the fight to preserve it and the enduring battle to wave the banner high ARE a part of what the South was and continues to be, to its discredit. But any sentient person has to call BS on the assertion that nobody sees the flag as a racial symbol.

50 years of fearless reporting and still going strong

Be a part of something bigger and join the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been tackling powerful forces through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 email subscribers, it's clear that our readers value our commitment to great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating – as little as $1 –, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Take a stand with the Arkansas Times and make a difference with your subscription or donation today.

Previous article The Rhonda Wood’s Media Blitz Edition Next article Portrait of a mass shooter: Disturbed and a history of domestic violence