Georgia marching band to drop song from 'Gone With The Wind' from its performances

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The University of Georgia marching band is making a change to its usual Saturday routine for football games at Sanford Stadium.

Brett Bawcum, the Georgia Redcoat Band’s acting director, notified university officials that the band will no longer perform “Tara’s Theme” from the 1939 film “Gone With The Wind” after UGA football games. Instead, the band will perform “Georgia on My Mind.”

“We are ending performances of ‘Tara’s Theme,’ effective immediately, and replacing it as our signature with ‘Georgia on My Mind,” Bawcum wrote in a letter to the Redcoat Band community. “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.

“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."

In his letter, Bawcum wrote that “public institutions of an honorable society must afford black people the same respect others can assume” and cited the band’s decision to remove “Dixie” from its name in 1971 as an example of helping to “correct an environment that is unfriendly for black students.”

Bawcum also addressed black members of the Redcoat Band in his letter and vowed to “continue working to extend opportunities to more black and minority students.”

“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 very important to me personally that you understand that you not only matter, but that you are irreplaceable.”

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