Texas Longhorn band won’t play “The Eyes of Texas” on UT-Baylor game

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The Longhorn band will not play “The Eyes of Texas” in Saturday’s football game between Austin and Baylor University of Texas, according to the Daily Texan.

The survey asked band members if they were ready to play “The Eyes of Texas,” a song that has shared its ties to the university community in recent months, with performers wearing blackfaces. The Daily Tex reported that a message sent to band members by leader Scott Hanna said the survey results would not affect whether the band performed in future sports. Due to safety restrictions related to the COVID-19 epidemic, the band has yet to play a football game this season.

The student newspaper reported that the band members were “evenly divided” when it came to playing the song, but some instrumental department responses prevented the band from playing this week. A message from Hannah said many band members wanted to discuss the song further, which she said they would facilitate.

On Wednesday evening, UT-in-Stein president Jay Hartzell said the game will still have a recording of the song this Saturday and will continue to play it in future games and events. He said they did not plan to perform the band live this weekend.

“We knew this summer that, as we make our campus a more welcoming place, we’re going to face a lot of tough conversations.” “I’m really hopeful that we’ll find ways to connect together around our song, which has been positive for many Longhorns over the last 120 years.”

The song was played through recordings in the first two home games of the season against the University of Texas-El Paso and Texas Christian University. The dean of UT Auststein’s Fine Arts College Ledge, Dempsey, said in a letter in September that the band would be expected to play the song when he returned in person.

After the UT-in stin game against Oklahoma, quarterback Sam Ehlinger turned his attention back to the song after standing alone and photographing the song. Many players have already left the field. Ehlinger later said it was a misunderstanding, and he stepped on the field to talk to the coach. But he said he sang the song because it made him feel connected to his family and the late father, whom he used to watch UT-Stein games when he grew up.

Student athletes told UT-Aust Stein to drop the school anthem during this summer’s Black Lives Matter protest, among other demands, threatening to participate in recruitment and donor events. The university responded with plans to promote the enrollment and recruitment of black students, but it kept the song and promised to educate visitors and students in its history and context.

“Together, we have the power to determine what the eyes of Texas expect from us, what they demand from us, and what standard they hold us now.” “The Eyes of Texas should not only unite us, but hold all of us accountable for the core values ​​of our organization. But we must first own history. Only then can we imagine its future. ”

Removing the song “Eyes of Texas” last summer was not the only demand from students. Student-athletes and other groups also urged UT to remove the statue of James Hogg, rename some of the racist-looking Texans campus buildings and donate 0.5% of the athletic department’s earnings to the Black Live Matter movement.

The university said it would add plaques to educate visitors about the Littlefield Fountain, the Statue of Hog, and pedestrians, on the basis of which several statues remained standing until 2017. UT-in also promised to erect statues honoring black figures in the history of Stein and to rename two campuses. Structures, it is unclear which will be renamed.

Disclosure: Baylor University, Texas Christian University and the University of Texas at University Stein, The Texas Tribune, is a financial supporter of a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization funded by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. There is no role for financial backers in the Tribune’s journalism. Find their full list here.