Posted on Friday, July 10th, 2015 at 7:00 pm
A July 2 article in The City Wire featured an interview with attorney Joey McCutchen of McCutchen Napurano - The Law Firm.
According to the report, a committee of the Fort Smith Public School Board recently voted 6-0 to remove the Rebel as the district’s mascot, as well as remove “Dixie” as the Southside High School song. The issue will come to a board-wide vote at the end of July.
McCutchen, who is a graduate of the high school and served on the school board himself for six years in the 1990’s, opposes the committee’s decision, stating that removing the mascot won’t do anything to improve race relations. “There are deeper issues that need to be looked at. I think you cheapen the important topic of racism … by just taking away the mascot.”
According to McCutchen, discussions the committee had outside of the meeting render the vote illegal. “We’re entitled to see the entire spectrum of the process, and not just the final results,” McCutchen told The City Wire.
At the July 27 meeting when the authoritative vote will be taken, anyone may speak during the discussion section of the meeting. McCutchen plans to change the Board’s mind in an effort to preserve the Southern heritage of the Rebel mascot.