WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina city council is being urged to remove the word "Dixie" from the name of its annual fair.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports several speakers told the Winston-Salem City Council that the word is offensive because of its association with slavery in the South and want the name of the Dixie Classic Fair changed.
Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr., a local pastor, said during the meeting Tuesday that in 1988 he did research on the name "Dixie," and has not been to the fair since. Another speaker, Rob Alexander, said the fair should have a name that looks forward and not back.
Mayor Allen Joines suggested keeping the word "Classic" in the name to maintain the brand.
Last month, Winston-Salem removed a Confederate statue from downtown.