NAACP, University of Texas students allege ‘Eyes of Texas’ fosters ‘hostile environment’

The NAACP and a group of students at the University of Texas – Austin have filed a federal complaint alleging that school administrators have fostered a “hostile environment” for Black students by continuing to play the controversial school song “The Eyes of Texas” at games and other school events. 

In the complaint, filed Friday morning with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, the Texas chapter of the NAACP and a group of anonymous students argued that the university had continued to keep the song as an official part of the university “despite its racially offensive origin, context and meaning,” according to the Texas Tribune. 

A 2020 report commissioned by University President Jay Hartzell found that while the song was previously used in minstrel shows and in periods where Black students were not allowed on campus, the song itself had “no racist intent.” 

The university announced in April that while it would not force football players and students to sing the controversial song at the end of games, the Longhorn Band would be required to perform it, and the school would create an additional band that would not play it. 

However, the Friday complaint alleged that the creation of a separate marching band violates equal protection rights granted under the 14th Amendment. 

The Tribune reported that the NAACP and students who filed the complaint said that the university has not adequately responded to reports of racial harassment against Black students and others who have vocally opposed the song. 

Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, said in a statement that the “university had an unabated intention of making sure that ‘The Eyes of Texas’ would be handled, displayed, honored in the fashion that the donors had demanded, and there was no modification available in that decision.” 

“Students made it very clear that they felt as though they were unwelcome at their own university,” he added, according to The Dallas Morning News. 

Bledsoe added that students who filed the complaint decided to remain anonymous due to fear of “reprisals from both the university as well as the alums and supporters.” 

The Hill has reached out to the university for comment. 

Hartzell in April defended the continuation of playing the song at football games and other school events, saying in a statement, “We need to celebrate and nurture what makes UT special, and the Longhorn Band is one of those great organizations that shape our campus culture, elevate school spirit and provide amazing opportunities for our students.” 

However, students have continued to oppose the school song. The Tribune reported in May that dozens of student tour guides at the university refused to work over demands that the school remove a plaque containing the song’s lyrics.