If you have ever attended a University of Florida game, regardless of sport, chances are you will hear their ‘Gator Bait’ chant. For the foreseeable future, the university announced Thursday in a letter that it will be banning the cheer given its racist imagery.
In the letter, university president Kent Fuchs said that the cheer would be banned given its “horrific historic racist imagery.” Fuchs would elaborate and say that the University of Florida would do everything it can to better its community to make it more welcoming to all races. “It is past time for UF to commit and engage in this challenging, uncomfortable, transformational work. We know that we cannot undo lifetimes of injustice and racism, but we believe we can make progress – in education, in advancing truth, reconciliation, and justice, and in anti-racism, equality and working to eradicate inequities.”
The ‘Gator Bait’ chant itself can be traced back to the 19th century, where it has been said that white hunters used black babies as bait for large reptiles in the state.
Fuchs also teased the removal of anything associated with the Confederacy from the university’s campus. “I am personally committed to removing any monuments or namings that UF can control that celebrate the Confederacy or its leaders,” he said.
