In the wake of the Charleston church shooting in June 2015 , '' The Birmingham News '' highlighted this racially charged history and called for a removal of the Vestavia Hills mascot , the Rebel Man , which resembled the same mascot used by the University of Mississippi until 2003 . Meanwhile , the school superintendent called it ' a " point of contention for some members " of the community . ' By early July 2015 , some Vestavia Hills residents wrote an op ed in '' The Birmingham News '' calling on the school board to change its name . By the middle of July 2015 , comedian John Oliver made fun of the claim that it was " heritage , not hate " on national television . He argued , " Your logo is a plantation owner . ... And saying that the image of a plantation owner is not used in a racist way is a bit like arguing the Hitachi magic wand is only used as a back massager . " The Vestavia Hills School System decided to keep the '' Rebels '' name but initiate a " rebranding " process
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
Vestavia Hills City Schools