For more than 15 years, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Salt Lake Branch worked to remove Confederate symbols from Dixie State University in St. George and to support a change to the institution’s name.

This change occurred when Rep. Michael K. McKell sponsored HB278. The bill passed and Dixie State College officially changed its name to Utah Tech University on July 1, 2022.

After HB278 passed, the college made the statement that they were deeply appreciative to the state legislators and to the numerous individuals who dedicated countless hours to the bill. University leaders thanked Sens. Don Ipson and Mike McKell and Reps. Kelly Miles and Brad Last for their leadership in crafting and supporting the legislation.

Some legislators and community members argued that the name “Dixie” is unrelated to race, the American South or slavery. However, historical evidence demonstrates that the term is deeply intertwined with all three. The name “Dixie,” along with the university’s longstanding use of Confederate imagery and symbolism, carries racial connotations that cannot be ignored.

As president of the Tri-State Conference of the NAACP serving Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, and President of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch, my work is focused on protecting civil rights and ensuring every person has an equal voice in our democracy. My leadership is grounded in the mission of dismantling systemic barriers to racial equity through democratic action. I lead and support NAACP branches, college chapters, and youth councils across the region and, in 2021, I advocated for HB278.

Over the decades, the university has adopted and later removed several symbols tied to the Confederacy. The “Rebel” mascot, introduced in 1952 as “Rodney Rebel,” was retired in 2005 due to controversy over its Confederate associations. It was replaced with “Red Storm,” a change that did not resonate widely with students or alumni. In subsequent years, the university adopted “Trailblazers” as the name for its athletic teams, with “Brooks the Bison” — named after the institution’s first student, Samuel Brooks (1911) — serving as the mascot.

The campus once featured a Confederate soldier statue titled “The Rebels,” depicting soldiers and a horse, with one soldier carrying a Confederate battle flag. The statue was removed from campus in 2012 and later returned to the artist. Additionally, yearbooks from 1968, 1969 and 1970 were titled “The Confederate,” a tradition that continued into the 1990s.

Archival materials from the 1910s through the 1990s further document troubling imagery, including photographs of students wearing blackface during events in the 1950s through the 1970s, Confederate battle flags displayed at athletic events and parades, and racially caricatured illustrations — such as a 1916 yearbook image portraying an African American figure with a derogatory caption. These records underscore the institution’s historical associations with Southern and Confederate symbolism.

Given this documented history, including the presence of Confederate monuments and racially offensive imagery, it is exceedingly difficult to separate the name “Dixie” from its Confederate legacy. Across the United States, the removal of Confederate symbols has been driven by the recognition that such monuments often glorify white supremacy and commemorate a secessionist government founded on the preservation of slavery.

Continuing to display or defend such symbols more than a century after the Confederacy’s defeat perpetuates division and undermines the nation’s ongoing commitment to equality and justice.

For these reasons, supporting the name of Utah Tech University represents an important step toward aligning public institutions with the values of inclusion, historical accountability and equal opportunity for all. It is extremely important to maintain the name of Utah Tech University.

Jeanetta Williams is the president of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch & Tri-State Conference of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. She is a former member of the NAACP National Board of Directors.

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