Longhorn Band will be required to play ‘Eyes of Texas’ for 2021 season
from Blake Harper with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
The University of Texas’s Longhorn Band will be required to play the controversial school song, “The Eyes of Texas” at school events, including football games, starting in the fall of this year.
According to an announcement from the university, anyone who does not wish to play the song will be able to join an unnamed university band starting in the fall of 2022.
Back in November, a committee was formed by the University of Texas to investigate the history of “The Eyes of Texas” after the song was criticized as racist, including several Texas student-athletes who called for the song to be replaced. Some football players even refused to be on the field when the song played in protest.
These complaints were met with severe pushback from several donors, who complained to the university about the possibility of getting rid of the school song. Many even threatened to stop donating if the school complied with the demands of the students.
In November, a committee that was formed by the University of Texas released a 58-page report saying that the song was not written with racist intent while acknowledging that its first public performance was likely performed in blackface during a minstrel show.