Rebel Spirit

After dubious claims from the school board about the origin of the Rebels team name, Akilah dives deep into the history of the high school, the influence of classic cinema, and the term Rebel historically in the south.

Akilah heads back to her hometown of Florence, KY to attend her former high school’s homecoming celebration and kick off her campaign to get the Boone County Rebels mascot changed.

Over the past year, Akilah Hughes (Crooked Media’s “What a Day”) has been on a journey back to her hometown of Florence, Kentucky to convince her high school that now is the time to change their mascot from a Confederate General into something everyone in the South loves: a Biscuit. Throughout the process she has had conversations with local advocates and allies who are supportive of making a change. She has also interviewed tons of incredible people like journalist Jemele Hill, NFL player Calais Campbell, and even Brian Allen, the creator of the Philadelphia Flyer's beloved mascot Gritty, plus many more. And now, Akilah is thrilled to share her journey when Rebel Spirit premieres Sept. 3rd, in just one week!

Coming September 3rd, Rebel Spirit is a brand new podcast series from Akilah Hughes (Crooked Media’s “What a Day”) about her return to her small town of Florence, Kentucky with a mission to change her high school’s mascot from a Confederate General into a Biscuit. Through conversations with local students and parents, and interviews with experts on everything ranging from mascot design to the history of the Confederacy, Rebel Spirit endeavors to make the process of correcting historic wrongs less of a bummer.