For the Texas Longhorns, tradition dictates that football players remain on the field to sing the university’s song, “The Eyes of Texas.”
It’s a long-standing postgame tradition honored by Longhorn students and athletes of the past.
But in March, the history of “The Eyes of Texas” song was learned.
In response to this revelation, many Black students refused to participate in the singing or playing of the song.
On the gridiron, Black players followed suit and simply left the field.
“The Eyes of Texas” dates back to the 1900s. It was originally performed in blackface at minstrel shows and student organizations continued that practice until 1965 when it was finally discontinued.
While Black students and athletes rallied against the song and its origins, many alums came to its defense.
And, as evidenced by emails written to University of Texas-Austin President Jay Hartzell, many came with deep pockets and deep-seated racism.
“You tell those ‘students’ who don’t want to play, they are out of the band and let the others play,” wrote Linden R. Welsch, class of 1969. “This is the same problem you have with the football team. You have let the inmates run the asylum. You let political correctness/ social justice or whatever take over and have lost control. It is stupid and demonstrates a total lack of leadership.”
“It’s time for you to put the foot down and make it perfectly clear that the heritage of Texas will not be lost,” wrote another donor who graduated in 1986. “It is sad that it is offending the blacks. As I said before the blacks are free and it’s time for them to move on to another state where everything is in their favor.”
Some even threatened to derail the futures of athletes.
“These are some high-power people that come to see you play and they can keep you from getting a job in the state of Texas,” said linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. “It was shocking that they said that. To this day I still think back to the moment. They really used that as a threat to get us to try to do what they wanted us to do.”
In response, President Hartzell condemned the messages of hate.
“Out of the many emails I received this fall, a very small number included comments that were truly abhorrent and hateful. I categorically reject them, and they bear no influence on any aspect of our decision-making,” said Hartzell.
Regardless, the message was clear.
Another Fight Against Restriction in Texas
For Texas, which just passed restrictive voting and reproductive laws, this is par for the course.
But that still doesn’t make it right.
The pressure and threats facing Black students and athletes at the school were not lost on those sympathetic and supportive of their cause and plight.
This month the Texas chapter of the NAACP, the civil rights organization’s University of Texas at Austin chapter, and a group of anonymous students took action and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
According to The Texas Tribune, their complaint alleges that the university “is creating a ‘hostile environment’ for Black students by continuing to play the “The Eyes of Texas” alma mater song at university events.”
The complaint states that the university has failed to address the racial harassment experienced by Black students and other individuals who took offense to the song.
This, they state, violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and, per the Tribune, “argues the university’s decision to create a separate marching band for students who do not want to play “The Eyes of Texas” violates equal protections afforded under the Fourteenth Amendment.”
The school requires students in the Longhorn Band to play the song but some members refused to comply.
The UT-Austin Butler School of Music created a separate band for those who chose not to play “The Eyes of Texas”, but that did not fly for those standing against the song.
Their fight picked up steam over the last few months.
Some students staged a walkout in protest at graduation in the spring. At the start of this semester, some protested the song during a new student welcome orientation.
Now they’re receiving external support from those with power themselves.
The president of the Texas NAACP, Gary Bledsoe, said they tried to work with the university to do away with the song. Unfortunately, their attempt failed.
Black student groups were also frustrated in their attempts to convince the university to remove the song.
“As Black students, we kind of feel as if it’s not like our voices are heard,” said Al-Nasser Lawal, a Texas senior and president of the UT-Austin chapter of the NAACP, to The Texas Tribune. “The main objective of the administration and the campus is just to appease their wealthy donors so that they can continue to get that funding, and that they don’t really have our best interests at heart.”
That’s when they decided to take action.
Their unified complaint also took aim at alumni who threatened students.
After the murder of George Floyd and all that happened in its aftermath, singing a song that as recently as 1965 was performed in blackface by former students is an experience Black students should not have to suffer through.
But as of today, they’re still going through it.
It’s just another fight in a state that remains adamant and defiant in maintaining systemic ignorance and oppression.
