Gathered info coming in, from the News and Observer, in Raleigh:
A dozen protesters stood outside the administrative building at UNC-Chapel Hill on Tuesday afternoon arguing against the name of the university’s athletic teams, “Tar Heels,” because they say it has ties to the Confederacy and white supremacy.
This group is the Union Soldier Campaign and they want the name “Tar Heels” dropped, and they want it replaced with the nickname Rams, for UNC/The University of North Carolina athletic teams…The UNC/North Carolina Rams, would be the new team name…
(The group is calling on UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, the UNC Board of Trustees and the UNC System Board of Governors to immediately rename the Tar Heels to the Rams. That name change would allow the university to keep its mascot Rameses, named after legendary football player Jack “the battering ram” Merritt.)
The leader of the Union Soldier Campaign, William Thorp said, “If you call yourself a Tar Heel … you’re cheering for the essence of white supremacy,” Thorpe said.
He said it’s like saying “Go Confederate soldiers!” or “It’s a great day to be a Confederate soldier.”
UNC’s explanation of the term “Tar Heel” refers to North Carolina’s economic history as a top producer of turpentine supplies for the naval industry.
“Workers who distilled turpentine from the sticky sap of pine trees and burned pine boughs to produce tar and pitch often went barefoot during hot summer months and undoubtedly collected tar on their heels,” UNC’s website says. Calling someone a “rosin heel” or “tar heel” was considered an insult.
CLICK HERE to read all on this article/post from Kate Murphy, with the News and Observer, in Raleigh/the Triangle…..
Maybe an even bigger question in all of this current “Tar Heels” discussion, is in regards to the state of North Carolina, we are known as/called the “Tar Heel State”….
Does this mean we have to/need to change our state name???
What would/should the new state name be???
(Could it be the state of Confusion or Delusion?)
Got a couple of text messages that said that they would go along with North Carolina being known now as, “The State of Delusion”…
Another interesting suggestion that I saw in my Email box was, “North Carolina Champions of Change”, and that idea was our state name, “North Carolina Champions of Change”….
If you had to change, that’s not a bad change…
You can change all the names of every building, every street, every town, tear down statues, and certain people will never be satisfied so expect the money to your university to take a hit, My grandson chose another university.
and my UNC graduate son is rethinking his will. So sad that people are so scared that they will bow for the moment rather than stand up and say “stop”! There are no winners here!