Revolution
“Black power…does not mean rejection of the whites, but the right to object.”
--Dr. William Cheek from the article, "Cheek Discusses Current Negro Problems" |
In December 1969 the revolution finally started to take action. Black Americans for Democracy (BAD) took over the seats for the band at one pep rally. This caused the Student Senate to form small groups to discuss problems with BAD members. That ultimately led to the Student Senate vote to stop Dixie which occurred on December 2, 1969. The vote was sent to President Mullins for consideration, and the recommendations were sent to Dr. Worthington, the band director. The Senate vote caused many reactions, both positive and negative, as can be seen in the letters to the editor of the Arkansas Traveler.
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"Dr. Worthington made the statement…that his decision on whether the band would continue playing Dixie at school events…he would lean heavily on an official decision made by some body within the university setting. My understanding at that time that the board of trustees did not make a decision,…but I do remember that the Student Senate took it up…, and since Dr. Worthington had said that he would abide by the decision of an official voting body…he decided not to play it." --Dr. Tyler Thompson, band member and drum major |
In an article on December 4, Dr. Mullins thought that the Dixie issue should only be resolved by the students and not by the administration. In the same article, Dr. Worthington had “submitted a letter to the Student Senate last year stating that if any legislative body on the campus recommended the discontinuing of Dixie that he would abide by their decision.” Dr. Worthington ceased playing Dixie after the Senate vote. |
Two days later Darrell Brown, a black student, was shot on campus by people who were taunting him about Dixie and calling him obscene names. The next day was the Big Shootout between Texas and Arkansas which President Nixon attended. This was the first game that Dixie was not played. Student petitions voting yes for Dixie caused the Student Senate to have a re-vote, and again they voted no to playing Dixie.
“Referring to the shooting Hunt said, 'We (the black students) were pretty scared. We don’t feel that a person shot Darrell Brown but at a black.'"
--Eugene Hunt from article, "U of A Black Student Shot After Pep Rally by Unknown Sniper"
Interview with Drum Major Dr. Tyler Thompson on a violent pep rally"Groups, the Black Americans for Democracy and some of the others, they said if you tried… And I believe we played Dixie that night, the first one [pep rallies], and then the second one of the next week they said that if you do that, if you say that you will continue to play, then we’re going to occupy the seats on the amphitheater stage so that you can’t get up there and can’t play the songs. We showed up the next week at the pep rally and sure enough when we got to the, we marched down the street and got to the hedges where the amphitheater was we looked down there and all those seats were full." --Dr. Tyler Thompson |
Interview with band member Sanford Tollette on a pep rally
"As the playing of Dixie ended, there was one particular pep rally in which it got really, really ugly. It was right at the edge of atmosphere for lynching. All of the white students were worked up and angry. Some of the band members were wanting to play Dixie. It had been decided by Dr. Worthington to not play Dixie." --Sanford Tollette |
Source: The 1970 Razorback
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Copyright Zoe Tollette and Samantha Fish 2012