RUSD Says It Will Listen On Confederate Mascot Complaint

RACINE, WI — Racine Unified School District officials said they are open to talking with Horlick students and families about the school's mascot after a petition was circulated calling for its removal along racial sensitivity lines.

On Tuesday afternoon, Unified spokesperson Stacy Tapp said that school officials have worked with students over the last several years to respond to concerns about the school's mascot — a scarlet-and-gray-clad Confederate soldier.

Tapp said Horlick removed the imagery of "Rebby," the school's Civil War-era mascot, but kept the name Rebels following a recommendation from students several years ago.

"The mascot is no longer visible in the school and has not been used for the past two years," Tapp said to Patch. Tapp said the district is open to further dialogue to "ensure that all imagery or nicknames associated with our school are ones of which we can all be proud."

Petition Says Mascot Must Go

The mascot for Racine Horlick High School has been a confederate soldier for more than 70 years, and a petition is circulating to get the mascot changed.

Former Horlick High School student Shannon Campion has started a petition on Change.org to throw the Horlick Rebel — a scarlet-and-gray-clad confederate soldier — into the dustbin of history.

"I, along with many other Horlick students and alumni, am calling for Horlick High school to cut all ties to the confederacy. This includes any imagery around school that depicts, or is related to, confederate soldiers," she wrote. "This also includes the mascot itself. Even if Rebby the Rebel is no longer outfitted in a confederate uniform, students, and the community, know what it represents. In the year 2020, it is PAST time for Horlick High school to create an anti-racist, truly excellent high school experience for all."

Over the years, images of the Horlick Rebel were painted on the school's walls, and were part of the school's identity. In recent years, much of the imagery has been painted over.

Members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, a student advocacy group, approached school administration in year's past to try to get the Horlick mascot changed.