Let’s pretend I’m new to the Richmond area and know nothing
about the history of Douglas Southall Freeman High School. I’m looking at areas to buy a house and
I have kids who will go to high school some day. I know very little about the Civil War as I did not go to
school in a southern state. I know
nothing about the Pulitzer prize winning biographer for whom the school is
named. I just want a good school
for my kids.
So I see this image representing this school with pretty
good ratings and a long name of some dead guy.
I think, well that’s an unusual mascot. I wonder what it means. Clearly the man is running from
something, And his outfit looks
dated. I wonder if he’s a
moonshiner running from the law.
Or maybe that is an image of Douglas Southall Freeman. I look to see the team name, you know, Tigers or Panthers or some other typical
team name. Rebels?? Well that’s different too. Like Sandinistas? Like revolutionary war rebels who
became Americans? Maybe the team
name is the Americans? Or maybe
he’s an unwanted suitor running from the girl’s daddy who’s got a shotgun aimed
at him? Maybe the team name is the Runners? Seems like a lot of gear for a
runner.
I ask my fifth grade son who liked studying the Civil War
and went to a Virginia school and he says "duh, mom, that’s a confederate
soldier. Can I have a snack?"
So as I continue my search for a neighborhood with a good
school, I keep that in mind. It’s
not a deal breaker, but it does say something revealing about the attitude of
this school district. I'll need to keep an eye on these people if we move into this district.
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land
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