Georgia Redcoat band will no longer play 'Tara's Theme' from 'Gone with the Wind' following games

The University of Georgia's famous Redcoat Band says it will no longer play "Tara's Theme" after its football games.

"Tara's Theme" is the opening song in 1939's "Gone with the Wind."

What are the details?

The school's marching band has decided to end its long-running tradition of concluding its football games with "Tara's Theme."

The move is said to encourage a more inclusive environment.

Acting band director Brett Bawcum made the announcement to the band in a letter, which was later shared on social media.

"We are ending performances of 'Tara's Theme,' effective immediately, and replacing it as our signature with 'Georgia on My Mind,'" Bawcum wrote. "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 added, "I value tradition, but I value creating a welcoming environment much more."

"Gone with the Wind," a 1939 film set in the antebellum south, has been under fire of late.

In a lengthy Los Angeles Times op-ed, filmmaker John Ridley — who won an Academy Award for "12 Years a Slave" — said that "Gone with the Wind" is a film that, "when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color."

Last week, HBO Max temporarily yanked "Gone with the Wind" from its programming lineup, promising to rerelease it with both "context and framing."

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