Should the name Dixie still be used here in Southwest Utah?
The big debate here in Southwest Utah is about the name Dixie. So many view it as a sentimental name for the area they live in. Others view it as offensive and racist and say that the name needs to go.
Where did the name first begin?
Around 1860 The Citizens State Bank in the French Quarter of New Orleans issued a ten-dollar bill referred to as the Dix, or Dixies as the Southerners called them. Then the French speaking parts of Louisiana came to be known as Dixieland or Dixie for short.
It also means a large iron pot, especially a 12-gallon camp kettle used by the British Army.
And we all know it is also a female given name.
There is even a brand of paper plates and towels named Dixie.
So how did the name Dixie become tainted?
Some say it’s from the minstrel song written in 1859 by D. D. Emmett, popular as a Confederate war song that has racist connotations within the lyrics.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, a southern Florida newspaper, the name Dixie harkens back to an era that glorified slavery and white supremacy.
However, The Southwest, Utah area became known as Dixie because of the people who settled this area. Many of them were from the South, the weather was similar, and they grew cotton, picked it, spun it and made fabric from it.
Sharreen K Rice, who has done extensive research on the Dixie area through reading old journals says that she had never heard of any black people in the area, and the settlers only had dealings with the native Americans. She says the word “Dixie” is a term of endearment to people from Southern Utah.
Karen Jorgensen said, “I’ve lived here for 20 years. I think when we mature and know better, we must do better. We can show that we care and have learned to do better and change the name. We can thank our past and take the good from it and always have the memories, but we don’t have to stay locked in the past."
There are many who have strong opinions on both sides of this debate.
Many say people are making a big deal out of the name and it needs to stay Dixie. Others say that even though they understand where the name Dixie comes from in regard to Southwest Utah, they know that people from other places don’t understand and may see us as a racist place because we still embrace the Dixie name.
Dixie State University is concerned for the future of their school and its students and wants to know what is the best for them in the long run. They are currently conducting a study to find out what they should do. Will the name Dixie remain as part of the school’s name, or will it change? And how will that affect the view of the school for those with strong opinions on the subject with either result?
In a blog post written by Jen Putnam in Jen’s therapy Corner, she writes,
“It’s not a secret that the term “Dixie” has its knees deep within the Southern roots of the confederacy and Dixie here was named after those same beliefs that stemmed from cotton plantations from the South. There have been many symbols and re-enactments within the city over the years that showcase slavery as a nonchalant ordeal from flying a confederate flag at Dixie State University, to painting their faces to appropriate slave trades. I can understand why, with the education/awareness about racism in today’s society that more than just eyebrows are being raised regarding the history of our town.”
Putnam also shares some great advice that should be considered.
“Our aim should be within healing these divides so we can come together instead of against one another. This problem won’t cease with canceling, but with uniting on our common beliefs.”
Can we come together and make a decision and an understanding that everyone is happy with? Can we eventually heal from the sad events of the past?
Time will tell.
Here’s a link to Putnam’s article.
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