Weather Channel Discontinues ‘Racially Insensitive’ Term

If you are a southerner, it's a pretty good bet that you are familiar with the term "Dixie". It can be seen all over the place in the south, and has been used frequently for over a century. And you might even have enjoyed a Dixie beer or three when you were in New Orleans. The term describes the 11 southern states that joined the Confederacy in 1861.

During the last several years anything that refers to the Confederacy, the Civil War in the United States, or slavery, has been slowly dismantled throughout our nation. The city of New Orleans has spent over $2 million dollars taking down Confederate statues and renaming streets. And that's just one city.

And late last week the Weather Channel joined those who condemn those hurtful words by discontinuing the term "Dixie Alley" on their television network and all platforms. The term refers to an area of the south that is susceptible to deadly tornado outbreaks, and that includes us here in Louisiana.

Byron Allen, who is the CEO of Allen Media Group, which is the parent company of The Weather Channel television network issued a statement via USA Today that said "Effective immediately, we will discontinue use of the racially-insensitive term ‘Dixie Alley’ – and I call on others in the industry to do the same. We must all work harder to become ONE America"

"Dixie Alley" had been used to describe the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee, and to differentiate them with "Tornado Alley" which is the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.