Post by OJ the Juiceman on Nov 19, 2009 23:21:13 GMT -5
The Ku Klux Klan will be among the masses descending on Oxford this Saturday when the Tigers play the Rebels.
Shane Tate, the North Mississippi great titan for the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, confirmed via e-mail the KKK will rally on Ole Miss' campus in protest of the Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones' decision to remove "From Dixie with Love" from the Ole Miss band's song selection.
"From Dixie with Love" is one of Ole Miss' traditional songs on game day, and the student section has chanted "the South will rise again" during the song for years, said Brian Ferguson, alumni chairman of the Colonel Reb foundation.
The controversy began last month when the Ole Miss Associated Student Body passed a resolution in favor of discontinuing chanting "the South will rise again" to replace it with "to hell with LSU." The resolution was never fully enacted because it was not signed by the proper officials after passing the senate, said Peyton Beard, Ole Miss Associated Student Body director of athletics.
The student section largely ignored the resolution and other attempts to stop the chant, continuing the chant during "From Dixie with Love," said Ole Miss English junior Dean Julius.
After a written warning by the Ole Miss chancellor, the student section's continued chanting resulted in Jones banning "From Dixie with Love" last week, said Barbara Lago, Ole Miss director of media and public relations.
"We cannot even appear to support those outside our community who advocate a revival of segregation," Jones said in a written address to the Ole Miss student body. "Consequently, I have asked the band not to play 'From Dixie with Love' at upcoming athletics events. The absence of this song will send a clear message that the university is neither facilitating nor indirectly condoning the chant."
This decision to ban the song has drawn the attention of the KKK, which plans to protest the ban in full robes Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m, Tate said.
"We are coming to Ole Miss to say enough is enough on attacking our Christian, southern heritage and culture, and it's time for every person to have a right to freedom of speech," Tate said.
Lago confirmed Ole Miss has been contacted by the KKK and said the group has the right to voice its opinions as long as it doesn't interfere with university activity or the personal rights of others.
Shane Tate, the North Mississippi great titan for the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, confirmed via e-mail the KKK will rally on Ole Miss' campus in protest of the Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones' decision to remove "From Dixie with Love" from the Ole Miss band's song selection.
"From Dixie with Love" is one of Ole Miss' traditional songs on game day, and the student section has chanted "the South will rise again" during the song for years, said Brian Ferguson, alumni chairman of the Colonel Reb foundation.
The controversy began last month when the Ole Miss Associated Student Body passed a resolution in favor of discontinuing chanting "the South will rise again" to replace it with "to hell with LSU." The resolution was never fully enacted because it was not signed by the proper officials after passing the senate, said Peyton Beard, Ole Miss Associated Student Body director of athletics.
The student section largely ignored the resolution and other attempts to stop the chant, continuing the chant during "From Dixie with Love," said Ole Miss English junior Dean Julius.
After a written warning by the Ole Miss chancellor, the student section's continued chanting resulted in Jones banning "From Dixie with Love" last week, said Barbara Lago, Ole Miss director of media and public relations.
"We cannot even appear to support those outside our community who advocate a revival of segregation," Jones said in a written address to the Ole Miss student body. "Consequently, I have asked the band not to play 'From Dixie with Love' at upcoming athletics events. The absence of this song will send a clear message that the university is neither facilitating nor indirectly condoning the chant."
This decision to ban the song has drawn the attention of the KKK, which plans to protest the ban in full robes Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m, Tate said.
"We are coming to Ole Miss to say enough is enough on attacking our Christian, southern heritage and culture, and it's time for every person to have a right to freedom of speech," Tate said.
Lago confirmed Ole Miss has been contacted by the KKK and said the group has the right to voice its opinions as long as it doesn't interfere with university activity or the personal rights of others.
