by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
August 20, 2024
After months of fighting the issue, the group will proceed with the new name of “Welcome Black and Gold BBQ.”
A student group at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) was forced to change its “Welcome Black BBQ” event to a more inclusive name despite being catered to Black students.
The school’s Legion of Black Collegians shared an update on the matter on Aug. 17. After months of fighting the issue, the group will proceed with the new name of “Welcome Black and Gold BBQ.” They wrote how “heartbroken” they were that the university would not let them keep the original title.
“The Legion spent several months fighting this decision and finding a way to preserve the original title and message,” detailed the post. “Although this is not the desired outcome, we still want the barbecue to remain a staple for incoming and returning Black students to make connections and find their space at Mizzou.”
According to ABC News, The Legion was established in 1968 following a racially charged incident at a football game. The song “Dixie,” which holds racist origins, played as students waved a Confederate flag. Since then, the Legion has provided a space for Black Mizzou students, describing itself as the “only Black Student Government in the nation.”
They added, “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 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.”
However, a school spokesperson emphasized that the name change better promotes an “inclusive university.”
“In striving for an inclusive university, we must not exclude (or give impressions that we are excluding) individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives,” shared spokesperson Christopher Ave.
However, this inclusive reasoning may stem from anti-DEI sentiment, which has condemned any upliftment of specific demographics, regardless of historical barriers. The current barbecue flyer explicitly states that all students, faculty, and staff can attend the event.
Mizzou also has a more recent history of racial tension on campus. Following racial slurs and other acts, such as cotton balls left at a Black student center on campus, protests erupted across Mizzou in 2015. One student went on a hunger strike, while many boycotted the school’s football team, including some of its own Black players. The school’s then-president, Timothy Wolfe, resigned after pressure from the demonstrations, as did the chancellor.
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