I was a member of the Pride of the South while in college, and have witnessed the impact that the song “Dixie” has had on the student body and community. It is a unique fight song that shows pride in the Southern heritage, not to mention the many cheers based on “Dixie” that make Ole Miss one of a kind. Never in my years of performing this has anyone expressed nothing but positive and heartfelt emotion along with pride in Ole Miss and our athletic program. It does not matter if you are black or white, you are living in the South, and “Dixie” is YOUR heritage too, regardless of race.
I am disgusted that an outsider with no ties to Ole Miss, other than a paycheck, can come in here and do away with such a strong tradition as the song “Dixie,” as it has made Ole Miss what it is today. In reality, the work that the administration has done for the sports program has been exceptional, but I fear that when a better opportunity comes along, we will be without not only an AD but our traditions we continue to eliminate.
It is a SHAME that a state-funded university refuses to fly the state flag on campus, and the university should not receive another penny from the state of Mississippi until the flag is once again present. When future recruits visit Oxford they immediately call it home.
The community is one of the most liberal and accepting communities of any college town, and to imply that a song so rich in pride and tradition is discriminatory in any way is BS. The “old times there” that I am reminded of when I hear “Dixie” have nothing to do with slavery, but of the good times I love and cherish from being a student here. And as far as the land of cotton – cotton farming is a leading agricultural crop.
It is time to stop trying to do away with the traditions of old. By all means let’s continue to rise to the top, but not by eliminating the traditions that make us Ole Miss.
Duke Hussey is a 1991 Ole Miss graduate and was a member of the Pride of the South band during his time here.
