THE PRESIDENT AND THE CHANCELLOR AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI HAVE STEPPED DOWN AFTER
ACCUSATIONS OF RACIAL HARASSMENT ON CAMPUS, AND
THAT THESE ADMINISTRATORS DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
THIS ALL STARTED WHEN A STUDENT CALLED JONATHAN BUTLER TOOK
PART IN A HUNGER STRIKE.
IT WAS AN 8 DAY HUNGER STRIKE, AND IT DID NOT SEEM LIKE
ANYTHING WAS GOING TO CHANGE, UNTIL THE SCHOOL'S FOOTBALL
TEAM SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO STRIKE.
IT WAS AFTER THIS THAT THE PRESIDENT, TIM WOLFE,
STEPPED DOWN FROM HIS POSITION.
"THE FRUSTRATION AND ANGER THAT I SEE IS CLEAR, REAL, AND I
DON'T DOUBT IT FOR A SECOND.
PLEASE USE THIS RESIGNATION TO HEAL, NOT TO HATE, AND
LET'S MOVE ON TOGETHER FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW.
THIS IS NOT, I REPEAT, NOT, HOW CHANGES SHOULD COME ABOUT.
I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INACTION.î
WEíRE GOING TO COME BACK TO TIM WOLFE AND WHETHER OR NOT HE
DID THE RIGHT THING IN A MINUTE,
AND I THINK THAT STORY IS NEXT.
THIS ALL STARTED WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT INSTANCES OF
RACISM THAT OCCURRED ON THE CAMPUS.
ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE
INSTANCES HAD TO DO WITH A SWASTIKA SIGN THAT WAS PLACED ON
A PIECE OF FECES.
ìLAST MONTH, A SWASTIKA SCHOOL IN HUMAN FECES
WAS FOUND IN THE RESTROOM OF GATEWAY HALL, A DORM OFFERING
GENDER NEUTRAL SUITES AND BATHROOMS, THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE
A GATEWAY FOR THE FUTURE OF
INCLUSIVE LIVING.î JONATHAN BUTLER SAID THE FOLLOWING, HE'S THE ONE
THAT STARTED THE PROTEST, "I ALREADY FEEL LIKE CAMPUS IS A
NON-LIVABLE SPACE, SO IT'S WORTH SACRIFICING SOMETHING OF THIS
GRAVE AMOUNT, BECAUSE I'M ALREADY NOT WANTED HERE.
I'M
ALREADY TREATED LIKE I'M NOT A HUMAN."
LET ME GIVE YOU SOME
MORE INSTANCES OF THE RACISM THAT ALLEGEDLY OCCURRED ON
CAMPUS.
"LAST NIGHT I WAS WALKING THROUGH CAMPUS, SOME
GUYS RIDING ON THE BACK OF A PICKUP TRUCK DECIDED THAT IT
WOULD BE OKAY TO CONTINUOUSLY SCREAM THE N-WORD AT ME.
I
REALLY JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY MY SIMPLE EXISTENCE IS SUCH A
THREAT TO SOCIETY."
I SAID
N-WORD, BUT THEY USED THE WORD TO HIM, REPEATEDLY.
"FOR THOSE
OF YOU WHO WONDER WHY I'M ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
INCLUSION OF RESPECT, IT'S BECAUSE I'VE EXPERIENCED MOMENTS
LIKE THIS MULTIPLE TIMES THAT THIS UNIVERSITY, MAKING ME NOT
FEEL INCLUDED HERE.
THERE ARE OTHER STORIES AS WELL.
THIS IS WHY THE HUNGER
STRIKE STARTED, AND WHY THE FOOTBALL TEAM DECIDED TO
PROTEST.
IN SOME INSTANCES, YOU GO WAIT A MINUTE, NOW I SEE THE
OTHER SIDE.
AT ONE POINT, A BLACK STUDENT ACTIVIST GROUP
PEACEFULLY SURROUNDED A HOMECOMING PARADE AND BLOCKED IT.
BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO MAKE A POINT.
THEY SAID ONE OF THE INSTANCES OF RACIAL HARASSMENT WAS
WHEN PEOPLE HARASSED THEM FOR BLOCKING THEIR HOMECOMING
PARADE.
I WOULDN'T COUNT THAT ONE.
WELL, WHEN THEY WERE BLOCKING THE HOMECOMING PARADE THEY WERE
DOING IT TO SPECIFICALLY GET
SOME REACTION FROM TIM WOLFE, BECAUSE HE WASN'T DOING ANYTHING
ABOUT THESE CASES OF HARASSMENT.
HE DID NOT HANDLE IT WELL.
THEY
ALLEGED THAT HIS CAR HIT ONE OF
THE PROTESTERS.
YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT THE
STUDENTS WHO ARE PAYING TO GO TO YOUR SCHOOL.
LET ME JUST FINISH ON THIS SIDE.
IF YOU ARE BLOCKING THE
HOMECOMING PARADE TO GET A REACTION, YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN
ABOUT THE REACTION.
UNLESS YOU SAY IN THE REACTION THAT PEOPLE
STATED THE N-WORD, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL THAT'S NOT THE
CHARGE.
THEY SURROUNDED TIM WOLFE'S CAR, AND HE REACTED
POORLY TO THAT, BUT THEN AGAIN IF YOUR CAR IS SURROUNDED YOU
MIGHT REACT POORLY AS WELL.
AGAIN, IT WAS NOT A VIOLENT
PROTEST, BUT I CAN SEE HOW HE WOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT
THAT.
BUT EVEN THE GUY WHO STEPPED ñ EVEN TIM WOLFE, WHO STEPPED DOWN,
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE HANDLE IT
POORLY.
AND THAT BRINGS YOU TO THE OTHER SIDE.
TIM WOLFE
CONTINUED TO NOT REACT.
HE KEPT SAYING, WE ARE GOING TO STUDY
THIS, WE ARE GOING TO LOOK INTO IT.
BUT GO AND HAVE A
CONVERSATION WITH THEM, RIGHT?
IT MIGHT BE THAT SOME OF THE
KIDS OR PEOPLE THAT YELLED THE N-WORD WERE STUDENTS, THEN YOU
HAVE TO HAVE MUCH SWIFTER
ACTION.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THAT SOME OF THEM WERE NOT STUDENTS.
EVEN SO, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT, WHAT CAN WE
DO OUT THERE?
WHAT I WOULD WANT TO DO IS, HEAR OUT THE BLACK
STUDENTS AND SAY, WHAT ARE YOUR PROPOSALS?
DOESN'T MEAN I'M
GOING TO ACCEPT ALL OF YOUR PROPOSALS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO
TALK THEM THROUGH AND HAVE THIS
CONVERSATION.
I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET ME WRONG, I LOVE
WHAT THEY DID.
DOING THE HUNGER STRIKE GOT THE STUDENT ATHLETES
INVOLVED.
IF THE STUDENT ATHLETES HAD NOT GOTTEN INVOLVED, THEY'D
STILL BE DOING THE HUNGER STRIKE.
BUT THEY HAD TO TAKE
ACTION, AND THEY TOOK ACTION LIKE BLOCKING THE HOMECOMING
PARADE TO GET PEOPLE'S
ATTENTION.
BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO HEAR WHAT THE STUDENT BODY
PRESIDENT WAS SAYING.
HE SAID, I'M HERE WORKING
HARD AT HIS UNIVERSITY, I'M DOING ALL THE THINGS I'M
SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, BUT I'M
STILL THE N-WORD.
NOW, YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT.
I HAD A
FRIEND WHO WAS GOING TO COLLEGE, HEíS INDIAN, AND A BUNCH OF FRAT
BOYS AT THE FOOTBALL FRAT YELLED AT HIM, WHILE THEY WERE
DRUNK, HEY MEXICAN, GO BACK HOME.
WOW.
THAT'S IGNORANT ON MULTIPLE FRONTS, BUT IF YOU ARE WHITE AND
YOU HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT
ñ HONKEY DOESN'T COUNT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO POWER OVER YOU ñ YOU
DON'T KNOW HOW THAT FEELS.
NO MATTER WHAT THESE BLACK STUDENTS
DO, THEY ARE CALLED THE N-WORD.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE SENSITIVE ABOUT
THAT, NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE TOUCHY-FEELY, BUT BECAUSE HE'S
SAYING, LIKE A HUMAN BEING.
NOTICE MY EXISTENCE, AND NOT
JUST IN THESE DEROGATORY WAYS.
SO IS IT OKAY TO DO A HUNGER
STRIKE FOR THAT?
YES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL GET ANGRY AT THE
FOOTBALL TEAM, DON'T GET POLITICAL.
BUT THAT'S NOT
UNPRECEDENTED.
STUDENT GROUPS AND SPORTS GROUPS HAVE GOTTEN
POLITICAL IN THE PAST.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE UCLA BASKETBALL
TEAM.
THEREíS A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THIS TEAM.
LEGENDARY, WON MULTIPLE
TITLES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, EVERYBODY LOOKED UP TO
THEM, AND THERE WAS SOME UNREST AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS THE UCLA
BASKETBALL TEAM.
KAREEM
ABDUL-JABBAR, HE WAS THE ONE SAYING, YOU KNOW ME AS A
LEGENDARY BASKETBALL STAR, BUT HERE ARE THE REAL PROBLEMS THAT
BLACK STUDENTS FACE.
EVEN BILL WALTON, WHO WAS
WHITE, SAID SAME THING.
THEY WERE SO MAD AT HIM.
YOU ARE AN
OUTSTANDING YOUNG WHITE KID WITH A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF YOU,
WHAT ARE YOU MAD ABOUT?
HEíS LIKE, ALL THESE GUYS CAN GET
SENT TO VIETNAM.
JUST BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL IT, DOESN'T MEAN
THERE ISN'T A GREAT RACIAL INJUSTICE.
SO YOU SHOULD GIVE BILL WALTON A GREAT AMOUNT OF CREDIT FOR
THAT, AND YOU SHOULD GIVE THESE ATHLETES AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF MISSOURI A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CREDIT FOR BRINGING THIS
ISSUE UP.
IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE RIGHT ABOUT EVERY SINGLE CHARGE,
AND EVERYTHING LITTLE ACTION THAT THEY TOOK TO GET TO THIS POINT.
BUT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR THEM OUT, MAYBE YOU
SHOULDN'T BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE SCHOOL.