When Illinois opens its college football season Saturday the marching band will no longer play what’s called the “war chant.” It’s a drum-based piece of music that critics said was demeaning to Native Americans.
The move follows the university’s decision a few years ago to retire a traditional figure called Chief Illiniwek, who would dress in a buckskin costume and perform at football and basketball games. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson takes a closer look at the change with WILL’s Brian Moline (@BMolineWILL).
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.