Dahr Jamail, one of the three sons of Joe Jamail who suggested that the University of Texas replace his father’s name on the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with the names of Longhorns legends Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, He said Monday that the family made the offer. not only because of the current racial unrest, but also because of the country’s tenor during the administration of President Donald Trump.
“As I said to Ricky [Williams] Before, I was watching that disgusting video of George Floyd being killed. I just cried, “said Jamail, 67.” I was thinking, how did we fall so low, to have a country without leaders, to have a president who supports white supremacists, these great people in both? -side horses —? Truth be told, I don’t mind a flight — if you quote me. It’s disgusting. It is shameful that people try to justify it.
“There is no middle ground here,” said Jamail. “It is not confusing. Our mothers, our churches, our synagogues, our mosques, our schools do not teach us this. It is a simple rule of thumb. The fact that George Floyd dies to make people think about what everyone sees days, and allow it to become normal. We are not in normal times. We have no leaders. You have a president who glorifies him. “
Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for more than seven minutes. His death sparked weeks of protests and calls for change across the country. Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder.
On June 12, student athletes in Texas requested that the university stop using “The Eyes of Texas” as the school song and rename four campus buildings to make Texas more inclusive of the black community.
Five days later, Dahr and his brothers, Randall and Rob, wrote a letter to University President Jay Hartzell to remove Joe Jamail Field from FieldTurf at the campus stadium and replace him with the names of the two Heisman winners of the college. Both Campbell and Williams were close to Joe Jamail and remain close to the family.
“This offer is conditional on their being named as soon as possible,” the letter said. “Although symbolic, this change would show the entire university community, its students, faculty and alumni, as well as the public, that ‘doing the right thing’ implies promoting justice as a first priority. It will show by action that the University leads, does not follow … Given the protests, public health, and social crises we face, take this action immediately to get the maximum impact, certainly before the media or other outside demands make the honor seem reactive. themes. “
Jamail said the only time frame he had in mind was “pretty fast.” A month and a day after student-athletes made their requests, the university on Monday announced several initiatives to address its racist history, including renaming a campus building, constructing statues of the first black student and the first black football player, and committing millions in athletic revenue to minority student programs.
When asked why he thought the university bureaucracy was moving so fast, Jamail said, “How do you think it would have looked if they hadn’t? It wouldn’t have happened if [Campbell and Williams] He had not earned it. There is no denying their excellence and greatness and how they inspire everyone. “
.
