Akilah returns to Florence for one last push toward change as she speaks at the final Boone County High School SBDC meeting of the school year, which just so happens to be on Juneteenth. 

If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!

And if you'd like to send words of encouragement to Boone County High School or the Boone County School Board about changing the BCHS mascot please feel free to use the below emails:

stacey.black@boone.kyschools.us 

karen.byrd@boone.kyschools.us

Go Biscuits!

Akilah returns to Florence for one last push toward change as she speaks at the final Boone County High School SBDC meeting of the school year, which just so happens to be on Juneteenth. 
If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!
And if you'd like to send words of encouragement to Boone County High School or the Boone County School Board about changing the BCHS mascot please feel free to use the below emails:
<a href="mailto:stacey.black@boone.kyschools.us">stacey.black@boone.kyschools.us </a>
<a href="mailto:karen.byrd@boone.kyschools.us">karen.byrd@boone.kyschools.us</a>
Go Biscuits!

Episode 10: Stay Free

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c9e004b5-4acf-48ca-bba3-b225000cfafd/transcript

As we finish up our next episode, and given that everyone’s minds are probably occupied with the Election today, the Rebel Spirit team wanted to take a moment to look back on the process of making this podcast over the last year. Akilah sat down with producers Dan Sinker and Elizabeth Baquet for a conversation about everything they experienced while pushing for change. Hope you enjoy it and we will be back next week with our tenth episode covering Akilah's journey. 

If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!

As we finish up our next episode, and given that everyone’s minds are probably occupied with the Election today, the Rebel Spirit team wanted to take a moment to look back on the process of making this podcast over the last year. Akilah sat down with producers Dan Sinker and Elizabeth Baquet for a conversation about everything they experienced while pushing for change. Hope you enjoy it and we will be back next week with our tenth episode covering Akilah's journey. 
If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!

Looking Back

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/611a0926-7a67-474b-8e99-b21e00f7b256/transcript

After so much research and work, it is clear that this uphill battle is not coming to a close soon as Akilah finally gets to speak in front of the school. How do you keep fighting for change when endless roadblocks keep getting in the way? How do you stay positive when progress seems to be moving backwards? 

If you have a racist mascot at your high school or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com.

We would love to talk to you!

After so much research and work, it is clear that this uphill battle is not coming to a close soon as Akilah finally gets to speak in front of the school. How do you keep fighting for change when endless roadblocks keep getting in the way? How do you stay positive when progress seems to be moving backwards? 
If you have a racist mascot at your high school or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot and want to share your own experience, please email us at <a href="mailto:rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com">rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com.</a>
We would love to talk to you!

Episode 9: So Disappointing

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0eaede58-37b3-426b-ae98-b2130142829a/transcript

The biggest advice Akilah has gotten for changing the Rebels mascot has been to get in touch with NFL MVP running back and Boone County High School alum, Shaun Alexander. Using the unfortunate power of Facebook, Akilah gets pretty darn close to that goal.

The biggest advice Akilah has gotten for changing the Rebels mascot has been to get in touch with NFL MVP running back and Boone County High School alum, Shaun Alexander. Using the unfortunate power of Facebook, Akilah gets pretty darn close to that goal.

Episode 8: Shaun

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f87e81d7-f37f-4db5-b384-b20c0173b605/transcript

In a set of riveting interviews with a determined high school principal and an NFL star, Calais Campbell, Akilah gets schooled on the successful process that changed the Denver South High School Rebels into the Ravens.

In a set of riveting interviews with a determined high school principal and an NFL star, Calais Campbell, Akilah gets schooled on the successful process that changed the Denver South High School Rebels into the Ravens.

Episode 7: Denver South

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/50ee21d4-54a4-408e-9fdf-b1f601547c77/transcript

By now we’ve learned that changing the Rebels mascot and team name is a difficult process. For guidance and inspiration, Akilah turns to other former Rebels who didn’t take no for an answer and pushed for their schools to make a change.

By now we’ve learned that changing the Rebels mascot and team name is a difficult process. For guidance and inspiration, Akilah turns to other former Rebels who didn’t take no for an answer and pushed for their schools to make a change.

Episode 6: Other Rebels

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c965f740-7ee8-4bb2-bd81-b1f601539a14/transcript

If you’re going to create a new mascot, you’ve gotta talk to the experts. In this episode, Akilah speaks with the creators of Benny the Bull, the Chicago Bulls’ mascot, and Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, about how to successfully bring a new mascot to life.

If you’re going to create a new mascot, you’ve gotta talk to the experts. In this episode, Akilah speaks with the creators of Benny the Bull, the Chicago Bulls’ mascot, and Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, about how to successfully bring a new mascot to life.

Episode 5: Mascots

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/125c9d11-c98f-48eb-b1ee-b1f601525d9d/transcript

Taking a step back from Akilah’s campaign, we spend some time with a local minor league baseball franchise, The Florence Y’All’s, and hear all about how they were able to rebrand their team name from something blah to something more inclusive–which led to a positive impact in every area of their business.

If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!

Taking a step back from Akilah’s campaign, we spend some time with a local minor league baseball franchise, The Florence Y’All’s, and hear all about how they were able to rebrand their team name from something blah to something more inclusive–which led to a positive impact in every area of their business.
If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at <a href="mailto:rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com">rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com</a>. We would love to talk to you!

Episode 4: Y'All or Nothing

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cfe3c2cb-49f6-4908-ba54-b1d1012f5a79/transcript

In speaking to alumni from Boone County High School willing to share their experiences across multiple decades, a clearer image of all the half-measures taken to remove the confederate imagery and racist symbols from the school emerges–even as the name “Rebels” remains. 

If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!

In speaking to alumni from Boone County High School willing to share their experiences across multiple decades, a clearer image of all the half-measures taken to remove the confederate imagery and racist symbols from the school emerges–even as the name “Rebels” remains. 
If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at <a href="mailto:rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com">rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com</a>. We would love to talk to you!

Episode 3: Half Measures

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/91fba34c-9033-4a80-8ea5-b1d101312701/transcript

After dubious claims from the school board about the origin of the Rebels team name, Akilah dives deep into the history of the high school, the influence of classic cinema, and the term Rebel historically in the south.

If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to talk to you!

After dubious claims from the school board about the origin of the Rebels team name, Akilah dives deep into the history of the high school, the influence of classic cinema, and the term Rebel historically in the south.
If you have a racist mascot at your high school, or are an alumni of a high school with a racist mascot, and want to share your own experience, please email us at <a href="mailto:rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com">rebelspiritpodcast@gmail.com</a>. We would love to talk to you!

Episode 2: History Lessons

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e30f0f67-105f-4f2a-8469-b1d1012dc1c1/transcript

Rebel Spirit is a brand new podcast series from Akilah Hughes (Crooked Media’s “What a Day”) about her return to her small town of Florence, Kentucky with a mission to change her high school’s mascot from a Confederate General into a Biscuit. The show features moving interviews with everyone from the artist behind “Gritty,” The Philadelphia Flyers’ viral mascot, to principals at schools across the nation who have made this change. In speaking to people at every inflection point of the issue of problematic mascots, Rebel Spirit endeavors to make the process of correcting historic wrongs less of a bummer.

Rebel Spirit is a brand new podcast series from Akilah Hughes (Crooked Media’s “What a Day”) about her return to her small town of Florence, Kentucky with a mission to change her high school’s mascot from a Confederate General into a Biscuit. The show features moving interviews with everyone from the artist behind “Gritty,” The Philadelphia Flyers’ viral mascot, to principals at schools across the nation who have made this change. In speaking to people at every inflection point of the issue of problematic mascots, Rebel Spirit endeavors to make the process of correcting historic wrongs less of a bummer.

Rebel Spirit

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