Representatives of the Texas chapter of the NAACP and the NAACP chapter of the University of Texas at Austin have filed a complaint regarding the school song, “The Eyes of Texas,” saying it is offensive to black students. in college.
According to him Texas Tribune , the complaint was filed with the US Department of Education of the Office for Civil Rights and stated that black students face a “hostile environment” because the song is an official part of the university. The complaint also stated that the song had a “racially offensive origin, context and meaning,” reported the Tribune .
The complaint also alleged that black college students who are against the song have faced harassment, to which the University of Texas at Austin has not responded, according to the Tribune .
The university has previously faced protests against the continued use of the song at sporting events, as many have argued that the song is tied to racist messages. The song was first performed in 1903 by white students. Members of the American football team Texas Longhorns also issued a statement saying the song should no longer be played.
But in March, the university released a report saying that “The Eyes of Texas” will remain the “alma mater” school and that the song “had no racist intent.”
Additionally, after many Longhorn Band students refused to perform the song at sporting events, the University’s Butler School of Music created a new band in which the students were not required to perform the song.
According to him Tribune , the complaint filed on Friday also alleged the creation of the additional band goes against the equal protection rights of students under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Tribune reported that a spokesman for the US Department of Education said the department will not acknowledge complaints unless they are accepted by investigation.This website He reached out to the Department of Education and the University of Texas at Austin for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
While talking to Tribune , Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP and Al-Nasser Lawal, president of the UT-Austin chapter of the NAACP, said they tried to speak with university leaders to express their concerns about it. This is a brief summary.
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