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The University of Texas Longhorns band performs during a football game at McLane Stadium in 2019.
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin says that its Longhorn Band will be required to play “The Eyes of Texas” and that it will create a new marching band for students who are unwilling to play the school’s alma mater.
The song has been a mainstay at football games and university events for generations, but critics have argued that it has a racist history because it was first performed at a 1903 minstrel show, a form of entertainment where white performers often wore blackface and presented negative stereotypes of Black people.