Photo Credit: Twitter
Never underestimate the power of sports. Student activist group Concerned Student 1950 initially confronted the University of Missouri president during the homecoming parade. A few weeks later, graduate student Jonathan Butler started a hunger strike in protest of the University of Missouri ignoring multiple incidents of racism. The school chose to ignore Butler’s strike and pretended it was business as usual.
However, it became hard to ignore when the school’s football team announced it would boycott all football activities, including games if it went that long, until university president Time Wolfe was removed from office. The players took to their social media accounts to announce their plans to protest. Head coach Gary Pinkel tweeted his support for his players.
The Mizzou Family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players. #ConcernedStudent1950 GP pic.twitter.com/fMHbPPTTKl
— Coach Gary Pinkel (@GaryPinkel) November 8, 2015
The team had a game this upcoming Saturday against Brigham Young University, scheduled to be played at Arrowhead Stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs play. The game was scheduled to be televised on the SEC Network. If the team truly did boycott, it would cost the university at least $1 million. Nobody wants to lose that much money especially because that equals loss of power.
Wolfe announced a few moments ago that he would resigning from his position. Wolfe had acknowledged that there was racism on campus, but not much action was done about it. He says the decision is out of “love” and not “hate”. Bravo to these students who saw racism trying to be swept under the rug and decided it was time to take action.
