South Albany High: Rebels in name only? (OR)
By Casey Parks
The Oregonian
SEPT. 8, 2015
... South Albany didn’t become the Rebels until 1971, more than 100 years after the South lost the Civil War. Students and faculty chose the mascot as a cheeky joke. They were breaking off from Albany’s larger Union High School and thought it would be fun to play off the theme of secession.
Because Albany Union High School teams wore blue, just like Northern soldiers during the Civil War, South Albany adopted red and grey. The dance team became known as the Southern Belles. The sports teams and the marching band used a Confederate flag as a show of school pride.
“It certainly wasn’t a racist comment or point we were making,” said Diana Messer Nunn, a 1974 graduate. “We relished ourselves being new and different than the status quo of the old Albany Union.”
Because Albany was primarily a white town, students didn’t talk much about the Confederate battle flag’s connection to slavery and racism ...
http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33340356-75/south-albany-high-rebels-in-name-only.html.csp