Racial Tension and Protests on Campuses Across the Country
Instances of racism and bigotry have ignited protests at colleges across the United States, and social media has amplified students’ messages far beyond campus. Here are some examples.
University of Missouri
Tackling Racial Tensions on Campus
After the resignation of President Timothy M. Wolfe, students and faculty agreed that a new approach is needed to combat the rising number of racist incidents at the University of Missouri.
November 9, 2015. Watch in Times Video »The president of the University of Missouri system resigned Nov. 9 after weeks of protests over racial tensions that had nearly paralyzed the campus — including a threat by dozens of black football players to boycott games. The president, Timothy M. Wolfe, urged everyone involved to “use my resignation to heal and start talking again.” Later that day, the chancellor of the Columbia campus, R. Bowen Loftin, also resigned.
Yale
Weeks of simmering racial tension boiled over this month in a debate over whether the administration was sensitive enough to concerns aboutHalloween costumes seen as culturally offensive. Many of the students who met with Yale’s president, Peter Salovey, said they did not believe the university was attuned to the needs of minority students. The campus has been engaged in a long-running debate over a residential college named in honor of John C. Calhoun, a 19th-century South Carolina politician, outspoken white supremacist and member of the Yale class of 1804.
