Cheers for the Mizzou Students and football team

November 10, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

From a reader:

Having attended the University of Missouri back in 1965 I wanted the readers of Revolution to have a sense of the background of U of Mo. and what still is going on today. What has happened at “Mizzou” is huge if you have a sense of just how the oppression of Black people is ingrained into the fabric of this society right down to its roots. It wasn’t till 1950 that Black students were admitted to the University of Missouri.

These are just a few thoughts. The campus football team is part of the National Collegiate Athletics Association.  Football and other sports are a big part of the whole “college experience” at Mizzou and is known as a “party school” with all that entails.  Having the football team and others come out and take the stand against the systemic racism was a critical step in breaking open what Mizzou really is all about. What the football team did took courage and the willingness to put the University on notice that the racist bullshit that continues today would not be tolerated, even if it meant personnel loss for them; many of the Mizzou “Fighting Tigers” have gone on to NFL careers.  So this was big for them to come out and join the students and others who refused to be on a campus where this racism flourishes.

Let me give you a few examples: Right now on campus there is a fraternity Kappa Alpha (KA) which upholds and cherishes Robert E. Lee. He is the founder and historical figure at the heart of this fraternity and the leader of the Confederate Army that fought for slavery.  Check KA out online right now!  During the time I went there, the members of this fraternity would hold Confederate Balls. They would ride up on horseback in their confederate uniforms to the dorm or sororities houses to pick up their dates.  This was considered one of the big events on campus. The theme of these parties was to uphold the old southern plantation days.  

One of the historical figures this “brotherhood” still upholds is Thomas Carlyle. “The essay ‘Occasional Discourse on the Negro Question’ was written by Thomas Carlyle about the acceptability of using black slaves and indentured servants. It was first anonymously published as an article in Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country of London in December, 1849, and was reprinted as a pamphlet four years later with the title ‘Occasional Discourse on the Nigger Question.’ The essay was the spark of a debate between Carlyle and John Stuart Mill.”

While I was there, some of these same people would ride through the Black community, which was segregated from the town, and hurl racist chants, fly confederate flags off their cars and basically terrorize people. This was considered just “good old boy fun.”  Never once was this called out by the University. The racism was so deep that even dancing with a Black athlete at a local pub was considered off limits and would destroy your “reputation.” 

The only students that were Black on campus were mainly athletes and they were used by the University to win the big football championships.  You never saw Black people on campus, and even to this day they make up a small section of the student population that attends the university.

Cheers for all the Black students, football players and others who refused to go along with the overt racism that exists at Mizzou!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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