University Of MIssouri President Steps Down Over Racism
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One student went on a hunger strike and black football players vowed not to play until Tom Wolfe resigned.
The university has been shaken by a string of racially charged incidents, from an epithet yelled at the student body president in September to a swastika smeared in feces on the wall of a bathroom in late October.
Wolfe became the focus of students’ anger after his car bumped a protestor, part of a group calling itself Concerned Student 1950, on the homecoming parade route on October 10.
Jonathan Butler, the graduate student who was hit, began a hunger strike November 2, saying he would continue until Wolfe — who oversees the university system’s four campuses as well as its medical center, research and technology parks, and other functions — stepped down.
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On Saturday, 32 black players on the football team said they would not play or participate in football-related activities until Wolfe stepped down. The team’s coach, Gary Pinkel, later tweeted a message of solidaritywith a photo of the entire team.
In an emotional statement Monday morning, Wolfe said he hoped his resignation would help the university move forward and heal. “This is not — I repeat, not — the way change should come about,” he said, pleading with the university to “stop yelling at each other and start listening … quit intimidating each other.”
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