Marin County's Dixie School District to hold renaming party

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) -- After dropping the name it used for more than 100 years, one of Marin County's oldest districts will hold a "Naming Party" to transform its identity.

Last month's vote to re-name the Dixie School District drew national attention.

The push to change the Dixie name intensified during the current, 2018-19 school year. However some activists claim they pushed to drop the Dixie name for decades. They believe Dixie was too closely aligned to the Confederacy, racism, and slavery.

RELATED: Dixie School District board votes to approve name change

Some people supported keeping Dixie as the district's name. They claimed Dixie honored a Miwok Indian woman with the same name who lived in Marin more than 150 years ago.

The Marin Independent Journal reports Thursday's naming party will take place at Miller Creek Elementary School from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

People can also submit their suggestions for names in boxes at schools across the district.

School board members will likely vote on a new name in August.