Comment on ‘Oh! Susanna,’ other music with racist roots being removed from Cedar Rapids schools

CEDAR RAPIDS — Music teachers in the Cedar Rapids Community School District are combing through their curriculum to rid it of any historically racist songs or composers. Creating anti-racist curriculum in all subjects is an effort the district has been working on for years to ensure students see themselves mirrored in the content they’re learning and also get a window into different perspectives and cultures, said John Rice, Cedar Rapids schools executive director of teaching and learning.Beth Davies, Cedar Rapids schools K-12 music content lead and band director at Franklin Middle School, began working specifically on the music curriculum last summer, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests in the community.