Move forward

Staff Reports's picture
Letter to the editor

I taught at Byrnes High School for 28 years from 1977-2005. Most people do not know why Byrnes’ mascot is the rebel. It has nothing to do with the Civil War or the confederate flag.

James F. Byrnes held many offices in state and federal government. He was a senator, a house of representative member, governor, Supreme Court justice and secretary of state. He was a very liberal politician, and even changed his religious preference from Catholic to Episcopalian. Because of his liberal ideas, his nickname was the rebel.

James F. Byrnes was responsible for our first sales tax in South Carolina, at 3 percent. He proposed this sales tax in order to have “equalized education.” He wanted the tax money to fund the black schools in South Carolina in order to buy textbooks, new busses and hire additional teachers.  

He also sought to curb the power of the Ku Klux Klan by passing a law that prohibited adults from wearing a mask in public on any day other than Halloween.

During the 1980s, Byrnes High School experienced a protest against the rebel flag.  It was then decided that the rebel flag could not be displayed in any way in the rebel logo or at school, including on clothing. The new rebel logo was chosen at that time.

I believe, in order to move forward with the problem of racism, we need to move forward, not backwards. I am not responsible for what my ancestors did, but I am responsible for what I do.
 
Joyce Merrritt
Greer
 

The Greer Citizen

317 Trade Street Greer, SC 29651

Phone: 1-864-877-2076

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