Rebel Spirit

Help us win a Signal Award for Rebel Spirit! Voting is open through Thursday, October 9th and you can vote in each of our categories at the below link. We're nominated for Limited Series - Comedy and Limited Series - Activism, Public Service and Social Impact. https://rebelspiritpodcast.com/vote/  Thank you for all your support! And keep an eye out for updates on Rebel Spirit season 2 which will be coming next year!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebel Spirit is nominated for a Webby Award and we need your help to win! Go to this link and vote for Rebel Spirit: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging Or just go to vote.webbyawards.com and search for Rebel Spirit.  Thank you so much for your support!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the last episode of the season, and Akilah is thinking about her home, Florence, Kentucky. Over the course of our reporting, we've been told how much the town and county are changing, how much more diverse they're getting. What does the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and diversity mean for Florence? What does it mean for all of us? One last open record request underscores what we're up against, even as the battle feels larger than ever. To view a selection of the open records we received from the school, along with bonus content for other episodes, visit our new website: https://rebelspiritpodcast.com 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 [email protected]. We would love to talk to you! Correction: We reference Linda McMahon as Education Secretary in this episode, as of publishing she is just the nomination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since our last episode, we've heard rumors coming out of Boone County: there WILL be a new mascot; there definitely will NOT be a new mascot; the new superintendent wants to know what's going on; there are meetings happening. We've tried hard to get anyone at the school district or the high school to talk with us, so we can find out what's real and what isn't, but nobody will. And so this episode Akilah asks: is there another way to find out what folks are saying? To view a selection of the open records we received from the school, along with bonus content for other episodes, visit our new website: https://rebelspiritpodcast.com 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 [email protected]. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akilah sits down with her producers, Dan and Elizabeth, for a check in on where the journey has taken them since airing the initial episodes. Though there hasn't been much movement from Boone County High School, they have heard some updates from local supporters. Additionally, the team shares an overview of what they plan to share in future episodes. 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 [email protected]. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Akilah and the Rebel Spirit team continue to pursue updates from BCHS on the mascot change, we wanted to share one more bonus episode before the end of the year. Within today's episode you get an expanded look at three of the many interviews we conducted when creating Rebel Spirit. We'll be back in the new year with a larger update on our progress in continuing to follow this story. Until then, wishing everyone very happy holidays! If you're in need of holiday gifts, consider checking out the Rebel Spirit Shop: https://rebelspiritshop.myshopify.com/ 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 [email protected]. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 [email protected]. 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: [email protected] [email protected] Go Biscuits!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 [email protected]. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 [email protected]. We would love to talk to you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.