Two weeks after John Mullins, superintendent of schools in the rural Alabama city of Arab, announced his decision to quit playing the song “Dixie” at football games, approximately sixty people showed up at the local board of education meeting Thursday night to strongly protest the change.
Per ABC 31, Mullins is standing by his controversial decision even after the crowd at the meeting showed they want the fight song reinstated. The superintendent and Arab City Schools attorney Clint Maze also shot down residents who were urging the board to allow prayer at school and at games.
One protester brought a sign declaring, “Put prayer and Dixie back in the game!”
The superintendent is not surprised by the unpopularity of his “Dixie” decision, but is standing behind it because of the connotations associated with the now-banned song.
“It is a song that unfortunately has been tied to people and events that are divisive,” Mullins said.
Yet, even one former Arab High School teacher publicly voiced his support of the song.
“I truly believe the vast majority of people in this community love ‘Dixie’ for the right reasons, as a school tradition and anthem of Southern heritage,” the now-Gadsden State Community College professor Russ Williams explained, per WHNT.
Mullins claimed that the number of people trying to get the board of education, and him personally, to change their minds about the song does not matter.
“Our plans are to move forward. Our plans are to let our students at Arab High School select from a variety of songs, possibly even us compose a song,” Mullins outlined.
The protesters were organized by Arab resident Stacy Lee George, who announced a run for governor as a Republican last year but dropped out to endorse incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey.
George explained that “plan b” is now to petition the Arab City Council – which appoints the board of education members – to appoint members who will reinstate the song.
George warned if they do not, “[W]e will just defeat everybody that stands against us on this issue.”
He is prepared to register people to vote and mobilize them around the issue.
“I will not back down. I will not go away,” George concluded.
ABC 31 reported that this story is “far from over.”
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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