http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/upimage/RG9-9-00-3_65_32_2015_p2.pdf

Media

Part of A show of solidarity, November 13, 2015

Text

A show of solidarity
Black Student Union
stages walkout to show
support for University of
Missouri students
MARLEE TUSKES
NEWS EDITOR
Donned in all black attire, the Black Stu­
dent Union (BSU) and other students stood
in the rain Thursday afternoon in a show of
support for black students at the Universi­
ty of Missouri.
BSU posted a request on social media for
students to wear all black and join them in a
walkout at 3 p.m. Thursday. After the walk­
out, approximately 60 students stood in
front of the Student Union to have a dis­
cussion about the racial incidents that oc­
curred recently at the University of Mis­
souri.
Deidree Golbourne, BSU vice president
and a junior African American studies major,
addressed the group by saying how proud
she was with the amount of students who
stood out in the rain to show their support.
"Solidarity is necessary," Golbourne said
to the students who were huddled under
umbrellas.
The University of Missouri's president,
Tim Wolfe, stepped down earlier this week.
Members of the group Concerned Stu­
dent 1950 pushed for Wolfe's resignation,
saying he did not properly handle the racist
acts that were occurring on the campus, like
black tudents being called the -word and
a swastika being drawn on residence halls.
Graduate student Jordan Butler, a mem­
ber of Concerned Student 1950, went on a
hunger strike stating he would not eat until
Wolfe resigned.

Member of the unive ity's football team
also said they would not play their sched­
uled game against BYU - which would have
resulted in a forfeit and cost the school at
least 1 million in fines - until Wolfe an­
nounced his resignation as university pres­
ident.
''We don't know the people at the Univer­
sity of Missouri but we know their pain,"
Golbourne said.
UB has been dealing with its own ques­
tions about race this semester after graduate
fine arts student Ashley Powell hung signs
around campus reading ''White Only" and
''Black Only." BSU and other student orga­
nizations have been waiting for an official
university response and possible new poli­
cy concerning the project since September.
UB students are just a few of the many
students showing their support for the Mis­
souri students.
Smith College, located in Massachusetts,
had about 100 students demonstrate to
show solidarity for both the University of
Missouri and Ithaca College. On Wednes-

day, students at Ithaca College demanded
their school's president, Tom Rochon, re­
signs after his lack of response to racial in­
sensitivity on campus.
Yale University is also experiencing ra­
cial tension after the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity allegedly did not allow black stu­
dents into a party on Halloween. A student
reported hearing a member of the fraternity
say "white girls only." The fraternity denies
the incident occurred.
A 19-year-old Northwest Missouri student
was charged Wednesday for posts he made
on Yik Yak threatening to shoot black stu­
dents on University of Missouri's campus.
Last week, during BSU's Black Solidarity
Day, several racist posts were made on the
social media app Yik Yak, an app that al­
lows anonymous posts and is filtered based
on location.
Golbourne said the posts were not sur­
prising because racism is an issue students
deal with at UB.
Golbourne and other members of the
BSU said the main takeaway the organiza-

GABRIELA JULIA, THE SPECTRUM

Students wear all black and stand in the
rain outside the Student Union Thursday
afternoon to show support for the black
students facing racial tension at the
University of Missouri.

tion wants is for students to form a sense
of solidarity. One member encouraged the
group to say hello to one another when they
pass each other in the halls on campus, even
if they do not know one another personally.
D uring the demonstration, Golbourne
said BSU is like a family and it gives stu­
dents an opportunity for their voices to be
heard.
"This is your home away from home,"
she said to the group. "Just know we are
here for you . . . We are your brothers. We
are your sisters."
emall: news@ubspectrum.com