Current:Home > InvestUniversity of Missouri student group ‘heartbroken’ after it was told to rename its Welcome Black BBQ-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
University of Missouri student group ‘heartbroken’ after it was told to rename its Welcome Black BBQ
View Date:2024-12-24 09:27:31
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Black student group at a flagship Missouri university that was roiled by protests over race nearly a decade ago said it was forced to rename an upcoming barbecue the Welcome Black and Gold BBQ instead of the Welcome Black BBQ.
The Legion of Black Collegians at the University of Missouri said in a post on Instagram that it spent months fighting the decision and was “heartbroken.” But the university defended the change in a statement, saying the modification was made to reflect that the campus is “welcoming to all.”
“In striving for an inclusive university, we must not exclude (or give impressions that we are excluding) individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” university spokesperson Christopher Ave said in the statement.
The Legion of Black Collegians started in 1968 after the song “Dixie” was played at a football game while students waved a Confederate flag, the group explained on its website. “Dixie” celebrates life in the old South and originated in blackface minstrel shows. Critics have said the term is racially insensitive.
The group describes itself as “the only Black Student Government in the Nation.” It said all other schools have a Black Student Union or a Black Student Alliance.
The group said in the Instagram post that the barbecue is a staple for incoming and returning Black students. At one point it considered canceling the event, but now is encouraging members to attend on Friday and resist “any further changes to our fundamental programming.”
“We are looking into all avenues to NEVER allow this to happen again. If it does, rest assured the Legion will have nothing to do with it,” the post said. “The erasure of the names and visibility of our events will continue to erode our presence on this campus, and we plan to do everything we can to divest from that.”
The name-change dustup comes after massive protests erupted in 2015 on the Columbia campus over the administration’s handling of racial slurs and other racist acts. More than 30 Black football team members said they wouldn’t play until the university’s president was removed and one student went on a hunger strike.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
- Breaking Bad Actor Mike Batayeh Dead at 52
- Pairing Wind + Solar for Cheaper, 24-Hour Renewable Energy
- Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny’s Matching Moment Is So Good
- Chet Holmgren injury update: Oklahoma City Thunder star suffers hip fracture
- Baby girl among 4 found dead by Texas authorities in Rio Grande river on U.S.-Mexico border in just 48 hours
- These 15 Secrets About A Walk to Remember Are Your Only Hope
- 1 person shot during Fourth of July fireworks at Camden, N.J. waterfront
- Whoopi Goldberg Shares Very Relatable Reason She's Remained on The View
- Entourage's Adrian Grenier Welcomes First Baby With Wife Jordan
Ranking
- 'America's flagship' SS United States has departure from Philadelphia to Florida delayed
- A New Book Feeds Climate Doubters, but Scientists Say the Conclusions are Misleading and Out of Date
- Natural Gas Rush Drives a Global Rise in Fossil Fuel Emissions
- Warming Trends: The Top Plastic Polluter, Mother-Daughter Climate Talk and a Zero-Waste Holiday
- Diamond Sports Group can emerge out of bankruptcy after having reorganization plan approved
- The Ultimatum’s Lexi Reveals New Romance After Rae Breakup
- Dad falls 200 feet to his death from cliff while hiking with wife and 5 kids near Oregon's Multnomah Falls
- Why Grayson Chrisley Says Parents Todd and Julie's Time in Prison Is Worse Than Them Dying
Recommendation
-
Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
-
See Brandi Glanville and Eddie Cibrian's 19-Year-Old Son Mason Make His Major Modeling Debut
-
California Farmers Work to Create a Climate Change Buffer for Migratory Water Birds
-
Trees Fell Faster in the Years Since Companies and Governments Promised to Stop Cutting Them Down
-
Hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field can be fixed for about $55M in time for 2026 season, per report
-
Blake Shelton Finally Congratulates The Voice's Niall Horan in the Most Classic Blake Shelton Way
-
Pairing Wind + Solar for Cheaper, 24-Hour Renewable Energy
-
Michael Imperioli says he forbids bigots and homophobes from watching his work after Supreme Court ruling