Georgia band to drop ‘Gone with the Wind’ song from routine

Georgia’s redcoat band is making a change to its Saturday routine inside Sanford Stadium.

Brett Bawcum, the band’s acting director, notified school officials that the band will end performances of “Tara’s Theme” and replace it with the state’s acclaimed tune, “Georgia on My Mind.”

“Tara’s Theme” served as the opening music for the “Gone with the Wind” movie, a film released in 1939 that displays stereotypes of people of color and was set in the Antebellum South.

Bawcum’s note comes after a period of racial unrest after the numerous killings of unarmed black men and women over the past few months. He addressed the community of black band members with a note.

“I can’t imagine you chose to join an overwhelming white band with anything less than reservation, though I understand through our conversations that the sensation was nothing new to you,” Bawcum wrote. “It is important to me personally that you understand that you not only matter, but that you are irreplaceable.”

Bawcum stated the band’s removal of “Dixie” from its name in 1971 as another example of making change.

The school’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music also released a statement stating “Black Lives Matter” on June 2.

Dropping “Tara’s Theme” was already under consideration, according to Bawcum.

“Though the tradition has been under discussion for months within the band, the current social climate has highlighted the urgency of addressing it and made me conscious of the message that could be interpreted by delay,” Bawcum wrote. “To be clear, the issue with the tradition is not the motivation of those who have embraced it, but rather the possibilities it may limit in those who haven’t. I value tradition, but I value creating a welcoming environment much more.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 8:53 AM.