Pomona College President David W. Oxtoby banned the traditional school song ‘Hail, Pomona, Hail!’ last spring after a college committee concluded that the song likely had its roots in a blackface minstrel show held at the college in 1910.
One alumni researcher arrived at the opposite conclusion, countering the long-asserted accusation based on evidence Oxtoby called ‘contradictory and open to interpretation.’ The president banned the song at commencements and convocations, but allowed it to be sung at alumni events.
The issue resurfaced when flyers were distributed on campus last February pointing out that the song’s lyrics, which do not contain offensive language, were written for a blackface minstrel show intended to fundraise for the baseball team.
The decision proved controversial when Pomona College alumnus Carl Olson compared the banning to ‘having your baby shot in front of you.’
‘It turned into a kind of multifaceted travesty,’ Olson said.
Student blog the Claremont Conservative and news blog the Claremont Insider have also been critical of the banning, describing the step as a typical overreaction in the administration’s continued attempts at political correctness.