A month after Texas soccer players asked for a list of campus changes to be made, Texas responded to a radical plan to “redefine campus symbolism,” including renaming the Texas soccer field to Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams and a statue for Texas’ first black football player.
On June 12, the Longhorns players released a statement requesting the removal of “The Eyes of Texas” as the school song, the renaming of four campus buildings named after Confederate or racist figures, statues more diverse by people of color, a permanent black athletic history in the school’s athletic honor room, and the name change of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium after Julius Whittier, who in 1970 became the first black player in writing for the Longhorns.
On Monday, Texas Acting President Jay Hartzell announced a set of diversity initiatives that included “reconsidering how to better reflect the values of the university, both in the symbols and names on campus and in the openness that UT has his story”.
“The Eyes of Texas”, sung before and after every soccer game, will remain. But the school said it will teach about its origins, which were at a minstrel show with artists on blackface in 1903, hoping to “reclaim and redefine what this song means, first by owning and acknowledging its history in an open and transparent.”
At the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas will erect a statue of Whittier. It will also rename Joe Jamail Field at the stadium to honor the two Texas Heisman Trophy winners, Campbell and Williams, at the request of the family of the late Jamail, a prominent Texas promoter.
“For countless days as young soccer players and being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ricky and I have remained on this iconic field for many important points in our lives,” Campbell said in a joint statement with Williams. “We never imagined that this historic site would one day bear our names. The symbolism of this honor transcends the recognition of the Heisman Trophies we receive. It extends to all students, but specifically to black athletes, who continue to work to define our collective. motto “Win with integrity.” Ricky and I are humbled by this honor. “
Williams added that he hopes the name change is part of an ongoing commitment to diverse representation in Texas.
“Earl and I are honored to be part of the momentum of change that is sweeping our alma mater, the University of Texas, the nation and the world,” said Williams. “We recognize that naming Campbell / Williams Field is a historic moment and we urge our nation’s universities and communities to continue to reflect and review the history, symbolism, and identities that we place on monuments, public institutions, and sports organizations. A new awareness is increasing and we are honored to be a part of it. “
The school directly addressed many of the requests from soccer players in the June statement.
“Over the past month, I have listened to many students,” Hartzell said. “I entered these conversations understanding that UT has worked hard to become a more diverse and welcoming place. I left them realizing that there is still more work to be done, and this begins and ends with creating an environment where students are fully supported before, during and after his time at UT. “
The players included a lawsuit to rename various campus buildings named after Confederate or racist figures, including:
• Robert Lee Moore Hall, named after a math teacher known for not allowing black students to take his classes. The university said it will be renamed.
• TS Painter Hall, named after Theophilus Painter, who served as UT President from 1944 to 1952 and was noted for denying entry to Texas law school for Heman M. Sweatt, a black student who met all admission requirements except race. The decision led to a lawsuit, Sweatt v. Painter, which eventually led to a Supreme Court case that forced the school to admit black students in 1950. The school said it will honor Sweatt, UT’s first black student, with the Heman M. Sweatt Entrance to TS Painter Hall. , and will place a statue of Sweatt near the entrance. He will also dedicate space in the building to an exhibition that will tell the story of the Sweatt court case.
• Littlefield Hall, built by UT President George W. Littlefield, who was a Confederate Army officer, and James Hogg Hall, named after a Texas governor whose legacy included the signing of some of the earliest Jim Crow state laws . These buildings were included as part of a new plan to educate visitors about the history and context of names on campus.
The athletes also requested the inclusion of programs for incoming freshmen that discuss the history of racism on campus, and an outreach program for cities like Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, along with .5 percent of revenue athletics donated to black and black organizations. Live the movement of matter.
The school addressed each of these, saying it would allocate a “multi-billion dollar investment in Texas Athletics income” to programs that work to recruit, attract, retain, and support black students, and said it will expand UT’s presence and reach in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and other places.
The school said the timeline for the changes will be released in the future as each project begins.
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