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In a letter shared by Acting President Jay Hartzell on Monday, signed by various administrators, the university addressed concerns voiced by students of color about some of the university’s names and symbols. Black students comprise about 5.1 percent of the student body, according to the letter.
The letter details the university’s plan to make various changes to address racial issues, including demands for the removal of the school spirit song and a statue of James Hogg.
Less
In a letter shared by Acting President Jay Hartzell on Monday, signed by various administrators, the university addressed concerns voiced by students of color about some of the university’s names and
… plus
Photo: DSCZ, Contributor / Getty Images
In a letter shared by Acting President Jay Hartzell on Monday, signed by various administrators, the university addressed concerns voiced by students of color about some of the university’s names and symbols. Black students comprise about 5.1 percent of the student body, according to the letter.
The letter details the university’s plan to make various changes to address racial issues, including demands for the removal of the school spirit song and a statue of James Hogg.
Less
In a letter shared by Acting President Jay Hartzell on Monday, signed by various administrators, the university addressed concerns voiced by students of color about some of the university’s names and
… plus
Photo: DSCZ, Contributor / Getty Images
“Texas Eyes” are still at the University of Texas at Austin.
In a letter shared by Acting President Jay Hartzell on Monday, signed by various administrators, the university addressed concerns voiced by students of color about some of the university’s names and symbols. Black students comprise about 5.1 percent of the student body, according to the letter.
The letter details the university’s plan to make various changes to address racial issues, including demands for the removal of the school spirit song and a statue of James Hogg.
The “Texas Eyes” was written in a period of intense anti-black sentiment in Texas. The possibility of separating the racist past from the song and its place as a school tradition was in question.
Hartzell said the university will keep the song in its current form as it works to “reclaim and redefine it.”
“Aspects of its origin, whether widely known or unknown, have created a rift in the way the song is understood and celebrated, and that needs to be corrected,” Hartzell wrote. Together, we have the power to define what the ‘Texas Eyes’ expect of us, what they demand of us and at what level they support us now. ”
The clamor for the James Hogg statue comes from an era of segregation and hate crimes brought about by his signing of the first Jim Crow bills in 1891. Hogg served as governor from 1891 to 1895.
The Hogg statue was removed in August 2017, along with statues of several Confederates, including Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, before being reinstated in 2018.
WITHDRAWN STATUE: Statue of the Spirit of the Confederacy removed from Sam Houston Park
You will remain on campus; However, Hartzell said the university “will educate the community and visitors about the history and context of the remaining names” of the Hogg statue, as well as Littlefield Fountain and the Belo Center. This education can take the form of license plates and a website, Hartzell said.
To attract, retain, and support diverse students and staff, the university said it will allocate a “multi-million dollar investment” of athletic revenue, erect several statues honoring black figures in the university’s history, and rename two structures. from campus, according to the letter.
Other measures taken by the university include renaming the Robert L. Moore Building, named after a former mathematics professor who was a segregationist and refused to teach Black students, the Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy Building. Historical explanations will be placed inside the building as to why previous university leaders chose to name the space for Moore.
The university said it will honor Heman M. Sweatt, a black man who won the 1950 case that allowed him and other black students to attend college, as well as others in the first class of black college students.
In addition, Texas athletes have asked the university to donate 0.5 percent of the athletic department’s annual proceeds to the Black Lives Matter movement and black organizations, and to establish a permanent display of the history of black athletics in the Hall. of Athletics Fame. His demands also include renaming parts of the soccer stadium after Julius Whittier, the first black soccer player at UT-Austin, according to the letter.
The university has pledged to erect a Whittier statue at the soccer stadium instead of renaming parts of the stadium.
At the suggestion of the Jamail family, the Joe Jamail Field at the stadium will be renamed to honor two former Black Longhorns and Heisman Trophy winners, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.
“We never imagined that this historic site would one day bear our names,” Campbell said of the tribute, according to the Texas Tribune. “The symbolism of this honor transcends the recognition of the Heisman Trophies that we receive. It extends to all students, but specifically to black athletes. “
Williams called the field name change a historic moment, the Texas Tribune reported.
“We request that this name change be a recognition of the achievement of a broad group of people and an ongoing commitment to diverse representation in the University of Texas athletic organization and student body. A new consciousness is emerging and we are honored to be a part of it. “
