To: The University of Missouri
October 20, 2015
During the University of Missouri’s 104th homecoming parade, Saturday, October 10, 2015,
eleven Black student leaders on campus interjected themselves into the parade, presenting UM
system president, Tim Wolfe, and the Columbia community with a demonstration addressing
Mizzou’s history of racial violence and exclusivity. The demonstration covered the raw, painful,
and often silenced history of racism and discrimination on the University of Missouri’s campus.
This history of racism at Mizzou dates back to 1935 when Lloyd Gaines petitioned the university
to be its first Black law student and was denied admission. The actual year that the first Black
student, Gus T. Ridgel, was accepted in the University of Missouri wasn’t until 1950, hence
where the concept of “Concerned Student 1950” comes from.
Concerned Student 1950, thus, represents every Black student admitted to the University of
Missouri since then and their sentiments regarding racerelated affairs affecting their lives at a
predominantly white institution. Not only do our white peers sit in silence in the face of our
oppression but also our administrators who perpetuate that oppression through their inaction.
The Black experience on Mizzou’s campus is cornered in offices and rarely attended to until it
reaches media. Then, and only then, do campus administrators seek reactionary initiatives to
attest to the realities of oppressed students, faculty, and staff. These temporary adjustments to
the university’s behaviors are not enough to assure that future generations of marginalized
students will have a safe and inclusive learning experience during their time at Mizzou.
It is important to note that, as students, it is not our job to ensure that the policies and practices
of the University of Missouri work to maintain a safe, secure and unbiased campus climate for
all of its students. We do understand, however, that change does not happen without a catalyst.
Concerned Student 1950 has invested time, money, intellectual capital, and excessive energy to
bring to the forefront these issues and to get administration on board so that we, as students,
may turn our primary focus back to what we are on campus to do: obtain our degrees.
The following document presents the demands of Concerned Student 1950. This document
reflects the adjustments that we feel should be made to the University. We expect a response to
these demands by 5:00pm on October 28, 2015.
If we do not receive a response to these demands by the date above, we will take appropriate
nonviolent actions. If there are any questions, comments or concerns, you may forward them to
ConcernedStudent1950@gmail.com.
The struggle continues,
Concerned Student 1950
