Texas student-athletes call for change
Longhorn athletes across all sports posted a picture on social media Friday afternoon demanding change for the fall semester.
In the past couple weeks, the topic of systemic racism has been brought to the forefront of America following the tragic death of George Floyd. Longhorns from all sports are demanding a new plan for the upcoming Fall including the replacement of ‘The Eyes of Texas’ spirit song. Without the changes being met, the student-athletes will “not be participating in the recruiting of incoming players or donor-related events.”
Some of the changes include:
- Renaming of buildings: Robert Lee Moore Hall, Painter Hall, Littlefield Hall and James Hogg Auditorium.
- The replacement of statues with more diverse statues on campus designed by artists/sculptors who are people of color.
- The inclusion of modules for incoming freshmen discussing the history of racism on campus and providing racial injustice awareness.
- An outreach program for inner cities.
Athletic Actions
- More diversity in the Hall of Fame.
- UT Athletics Department donating 0.5% of their annual earnings to black organizations and the BLM movement.
- The renaming of an area of the stadium after Julius Whittier, the first black football player at UT.
The caption for the post for all the athletes states the following: “What starts here changes the world” #WeAreOne”. Texas Vice President and Athletics Director, Chris Del Conte recently came out with an encouraging statement for Texas athletes.
“We are encouraging our student-athletes, coaches and staff to speak up and become a part of the direct and difficult conversations that must take place in the days and weeks ahead. Their voices need to be heard and they are leaders who can help us move forward.”
