AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- A comprehensive 57-page report released Tuesday by the University of Texas says that although "The Eyes of Texas" debuted at a 1903 minstrel show, there was "no racist intent."
The report follows more than five months of work by a 24-member committee that was tasked in October with researching the song’s history, as well as researching the song’s origins and its historical use.
The committee was made up of two dozen faculty scholars, students, and alumni, including athletes and Longhorn Band representatives, with a charge to document the nearly 120-year history of “The Eyes of Texas” as a part of UT's commitment to fully own, acknowledge and teach about its school song.
UT President Jay Hartzell issued a statement alongside the report's release. "Everything we do at The University of Texas at Austin comes back to three things: research, teaching and changing the world," Hartzell wrote. "Our work around 'The Eyes of Texas' is no different."
According to the report's executive summary, the committee's findings showed robust evidence about many elements of the song, several of which have been previously unsupported by fact.
The report shows how the history of the song mirrors the history of the university, state and nation, combining a detailed examination of the song’s origins with a comprehensive narrative chronicling its evolution over time.
“These facts add nuance and richness to the story of a song that debuted in a racist setting, directed at the student body as a reminder to represent the university at all times,” said the committee’s chair, Professor Richard Reddick. “Learning the history of the university, starting from a time when Black students were excluded, presents an opportunity to think about how they and other communities of color resisted, with the goal of inclusion, and our work that remains to ensure all members of our community feel they belong.”
The university has said the song will remain as its alma mater, a topic that was not under consideration by the committee.
The full report can be read on UT's website.