2015 University of Missouri Protests

Overview

The 2015 University of Missouri Protests refers demonstrations held against former University of Missouri (MU) system president Tim Wolfe for his response to several race-related incidents in late 2015. The protests were organized by the group Concerned Student 1950, which references the first year African American students were admitted to MU.

Background

On September 12th, 2015, the Missouri Students Association president Payton Head published a Facebook^[4] post claiming to have been called a “nigger” while walking through campus by several unidentified men driving by in a pickup truck (shown below).

On October 5th, the Legion of Black Collegians tweeted^[6] a letter claiming to have been called “niggers” while at a rehearsal at Traditions Plaza at MU. On October 10th, a protest formed by the group Concerned Student 1950 was held at the MU Homecoming Parade, where a car carrying Tim Wolfe was blocked by demonstrators. On October 21st, the Concerned Student 1950 group issued a list of eight demands, which included mandatory racial awareness training for faculty, an increase in black faculty and an apology from Wolfe in which he “must acknowledge his white privilege” before stepping down from office.^[7] On October 24th, a swastika drawn out of human feces was found in a bathroom at MU’s Gateway Hall, which Residence Halls Association President Billy Donley described as “an act of hate.”^[8] On November 2nd, MU student Jonathan Butler began a hunger strike until Wolfe was removed from office. On November 4th, a petition was created on Change.org^[3] to remove Tim Wolfe from office, which garnered upwards of 7,100 signatures in the next week.

Notable Developments

Demonstrations

In the coming days, several demonstrations against Wolfe were held on campus. On November 6th, Twitter user @Qiana_Jade uploaded footage of Wolfe addressing students about systematic oppression. After being asked what he thought it was, he replied “systematic oppression is because you don’t believe that you have the equal opportunity for success” (shown below).

On Twitter

On November 7th, Twitter user 1Sherrils_2MIZZ^[9] tweeted an announcement that “athletes of color” on the MU football team would no longer participate in football activities until Wolfe’s removal from office (shown below, left). On the following day, University of Missouri head football coach Gary Pinkel tweeted “We are behind our players” along with the “ConcernedStudent1950” hashtag (shown below, right). Within 24 hours, the tweet gathered upwards of 15,000 retweets and 13,500 likes.^[1]

Wolfe’s Resignation

On November 9th, Wolfe announced he was resigning from office amid the controversy. That day, a post about the resignation was submitted to the /r/news^[10] subreddit, where many debated the validity of the protester’s demands. Within 24 hours, the post received upwards of 1,400 votes (87% upvoted) and 1,900 comments. The same day, YouTuber Mark Schierbecker uploaded footage of reporters being harassed by protesters at the university for taking photographs of a tent village (shown below).

Search Interest

External References