Background Information
“Only when the Negro feels a personal stake in society, will he feel the need to protect society.”
--Dr. William Cheek from the article, "Cheek Discusses Current Negro Problems" |
Stopping Dixie was revolutionary because Dixie had been played at the campus for such a long time that it had become tradition and most of the people wanted to keep that tradition going. Even though the last time the song was played was in December of 1969, many people had been trying to get it stopped for much longer.
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Blacks were not abundant at the college. Many of the black students on campus, however, did form a group called Black Americans for Democracy (BAD) in 1968. Other groups helped. Groups such as the Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC) made petitions and wrote letters to the newspaper.
Source: The Razorback 1970
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Source: The Razorback 1970
“It wouldn’t help our race relations here to have our application [for BAD to be recognized as a university organization] rejected now. We don’t want another two weeks added to a 300 year wait.” --Carl Moore from the article, "BAD Criticizes Student Senate" |
They proposed the stopping of Dixie in the spring of 1968. On October 30, 1968, the SSOC wrote a letter to the editor of the Arkansas Traveler that included a letter to Dr. Worthington, the band director at the time, asking him to present the issue to the band members for consideration. This letter began many responses and letters to the editor concerning the Dixie issue both for and against Dixie. There were many meetings being held trying to unite the black and white races, including Black Emphasis Week in April of 1969. There was also a petition being formed in December 1968 in favor of continuing to play Dixie. They expected 2000 signatures on the petition and were planning to give it to Dr. David Mullins, president of the university.
“I wanted to be a part of making a difference. A lot of us out of that 40 or so African Americans that were at the University of Arkansas went up there from all of our communities from around the state of Arkansas wanting to make a difference. Mind you this is right at the cusp of the Civil Rights movement; 1964 the Civil Rights legislation passed. We went up in 1969. About 1965 was the first time that the University of Arkansas began allowing African Americans to stay in the dorms. So we went up there understanding that there were not many African Americans up there. We understood that we would have some challenges and we understood that we were the best of our communities—that our families expected us to stand upright and represent not only our families but also our heritage and to get a good education and to be somebody. But part of that being somebody was to also be a part of making change. And a lot of us coming out of the 60s coming from our high schools had already been in a series of movements through the integration of public schools in our high school areas, so we were already activists in our minds and knowing that everything that we did was to make a difference in terms of equality.”
--Sanford Tollette, band member and first black drum major
--Sanford Tollette, band member and first black drum major
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Southern Student Organizing Committee
Southern Student Organizing Committee
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