The president of the University of Missouri has decided to step down. On the morning of Nov. 9, Tim Wolfe called a press conference and revealed that he would no longer serve as president.
Wolfe’s resignation comes days after the college was rocked by protests from Black students and faculty members who were upset over the overt racism that has occurred on the campus. The protest group known as the Concerned Student 1950, began holding demonstrations and one student decided to go on a hunger strike. The Concerned Student 1950 was named for the year the first Black student integrated the school.
But years later, the school continued to suffer from racist attitudes. Student Payton Head said he and other Black students were called the N-word by a White student who yelled it during rehearsals. There was also an excrement-smeared swastika smeared on the wall of a dormitory.
Black student-athletes on the football team also threatened to stop playing football if Wolfe didn’t resign. Sixty of the 124 players on the team are Black and represent the majority of players who are starters.
Although Wolfe has decided to resign, the racial climate at the University of Missouri won’t change until the school implements rules that force students and staff to understand and accept diversity.
