It was an all too familiar situation.
There had been racial injustices and insensitive events plaguing the students of the University of Missouri, or "Mizzou", for years, but not until recently have they gained such a national audience. After suffering under an administration that did nothing for years to address the racial climate on the campus of the University of Missouri, many students took to protests, walk-outs, sit-ins, boycotts and hunger strikes to express their grievances with the university. These demonstrations led to the resignation of Tim Wolfe, the university's former president who is often cited as being silent when discussing the campus' racial climate. As a result, several threats have been made toward the black students and anyone who is seen with them, at Mizzou. Through the anonymous posting site Yik-Yak, these threats, racist comments and outright hate has been targeted toward the black population of Mizzou. But did that deter the students of Mizzou? No. They upped their security and traveled in groups. They continued their efforts in the fight for justice, but they were not alone.
Universities across the nation have rallied in solidarity with the students of the University of Missouri, or as they call themselves, Concerned Student 1950 (#ConcernedStudent1950), which is a student organization at Mizzou that focuses on activism and creating a safe place for people in times of injustice. Winthrop University was one of those universities that banded together in solidarity. On Friday, November 13, 2015, we congregated on Scholars' Walk, a high traffic area on our campus, to express our grievances and show support for our brothers and sisters in Missouri. As we asked everyone to dress in black to show solidarity, students arrived bearing signs and reciting poetry. One of our own administrators, Mr. Anthony Davis, spoke a few words on what can be done to combat racial intolerance and injustices on our campus. Mr. Davis serves as an Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct here at Winthrop.
Just like the students at Mizzou, we faced the backlash of speaking out against injustice. Through use of the Yik-Yak app, we were targeted with hateful, racist and disheartening comments. All because we would not stand for the status quo. Statements such as "F**k Mizzou" or "Speak for yourself, you ignorant piece of sh*t" were being constantly posted. I believe the worst part of this all is that we may be living next door to these people. But this is not a new occurrence at Winthrop. Last December, when a die-in was staged on Scholars' Walk and the Winthrop University's Facebook posted a photo of those who participated and described our cause, people from all over the nation called us everything, but students. Current students, alumni, total strangers who had no connection to Winthrop slandered us for days. And for what? Exercising our rights that our ancestors fought so diligently for?
It seems to me that any time the black community at Winthrop stands up for themselves, there is an issue. Anytime black students want to create a space for themselves, there is an issue. Anytime black students want to address issues plaguing our communities, there is an issue. And even we want to have an event that caters to our own interests, often times, there is an issue. From my experiences here, I believe that we are one incident away from becoming the University of Missouri. I can only hope that our administration would side with justice and not the majority if and when that time comes.
