Redcoats Marching Band Done With 'Gone With the Wind' Theme

ATHENS, GA – The University of Georgia Marching Band has announced it will no longer play the theme song to "Gone With the Wind," given the current social climate and controversy over the film's glorification of slavery.

In a letter posted to Facebook, marching band acting director Brett Bawcum said he notified the Hodgson School of Music director and the Redcoat Band Alumni Association that the band will be ending performances of "Tara's Theme" effective immediately. The band will replace the song with "Georgia On My Mind," as its signature piece.

"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."

Bawcum said he values tradition, "but I value creating a welcoming environment much more."

In the letter, Bawcum said it is important to him that Black members of the marching band understand that they not only matter, they are irreplaceable.

"To a person, you are models for this organization in how you approach membership and in how you lift your voice to insist on what is rightfully yours," he said in the letter. "You are admired, appreciated and loved."

Bawcum asked all current marching band members to not settle for the "standard of humanity that only respects the personal and cultural dignity of others." Instead, he encouraged band members to challenge their unproductive assumptions and support those who may feel out of place.

As an organization, Bawcum said the band will work to extend opportunities to more students of color, including the establishment of a student ambassador program for prospective students in underserved populations.

"I love the Redcoat Band," Bawcum said in the letter. "But it is incomplete. It's past time that we made it right."