Mizzou President Resigns After Boycott, Walkout, and Hunger Strike | Sojourners

Mizzou President Resigns After Boycott, Walkout, and Hunger Strike

The columns in front of the University of Missouri. Image via Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock.com

The president of the University of Missouri, Tim Wolfe, announced Nov. 9 that he will resign, reports NBC

After a series of racist incidents on campus, a graduate student went on a hunger strike and the football team boycotted all team-related activities in protest of Wolfe's handling of the incidents. Some University of Missouri faculty participated in a solidarity walkout as well.
 
Much of the recent tension began when Missouri Students Association president Payton Head, who is African American, was walking through campus. Some students driving past shouted racial obscenities at him. 
 
The actual spark of the protests, however, came when a swastika of smeared feces was found in a residence hall bathroom.
 
 

“My body feels like it’s on fire,” Jonathan L. Butler, 25, told The Washington Post on Thursday night, four days into his one-man protest. “I have pain all over. I’m exhausted. Of course, I’m hungry. I’ve got an ongoing headache.”

Butler said he was just drinking water — no multivitamins, no painkillers — until University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe steps down. Butler and other black students blame Wolfe for what they say is the school’s failure to address the rising tide of racism on campus.

“I already feel like campus is an unlivable space,” said Butler, who is African American. “So it’s worth sacrificing something of this grave amount, because I’m already not wanted here. I’m already not treated like I’m a human.”

With Wolfe's resignation, Butler should be able to end his strike.

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