Univ of Southern Miss Cancels “Dixie Darlings” Dance Team Name

USM’s dance team, ‘Dixie Darlings,’ to be renamed

Must be some mean darlins on that dance team to create such an unsafe environment on campus. I’m a little triggered by The “Pride” of Mississippi name and hope they will consider changing that to better reflect the sexual orientation of the majority of Mississippians.

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HATTIESBURG, Miss (WDAM) - After 66 years, the Dixie Darlings are about to be retired. The University of Southern Mississippi’s precision dance team that performs with the school’s marching band, “The Pride of Mississippi,” will be renamed, according to USM’s website. An unsigned “Message from our Leadership Desk” on the Pride’s website page starts: “The leadership of The Pride of Mississippi and all of its component performing units, in consultation with University of Southern Mississippi administrators and the Southern Miss Alumni Association’s Traditions Committee, are beginning the process of selecting a new name for the marching band’s precision dance team, known from 1954 to 2020, as the Dixie Darlings.”

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The message said the change was necessary because “(i)t has become increasingly difficult for our students to focus on our core values of excellence and our faculty’s ability to provide a positive and safe environment.”

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