By RF Schatten
When people of good conscience refuse to remain silent anymore, the right action will always make a powerful statement...and there's no better way on this earth than civil Nonviolent Action to eventually reach the right results! If it can topple Governments...one schmuck racist school president?...if done properly, wasn't going too be hard. In a very smart way, the Missouri Tigers made a statement on College Racism in America; "Enough is Enough"!
"Nonviolent action involves opposing the opponent's power, including his police & military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different means...Repression by the opponent is used against his own power position in a kind of political " ju-jitsu " and the very sources of his power thus reduced or removed, with the result that his political and military position is seriously weakened or destroyed". ~~~ Gene Sharp
Exactly, what did happened in Mizzou? Well, it's not that hard to observe that Racism, Violence, and Police Brutality are a way of life now days in the Show Me State.
And the University of Missouri is no exception...it's had its share for months, along with a University President who has sort of addressed, yet really ignored, dismissed, or simply just never really cared about the serious attacks and complains brought up by both Students, Student Organizations, and Faculty members alike. A Swastika made out of Human Excrement found in the bathroom in a campus dorm. School prank? Not likely. Even the Student Body President Payton Head, was called a "Nigger"...very popular word now days on Campuses around the country. No! Head wasn't elected because of a "giant" block of Black Students...in a campus where 77% of the Students are White...compared to 7% that's Black. Payton Head was elected by a White Majority that doesn't care for Racism or Racists, whether on campus or anywhere else.
The question of Hate & Racism on the University Campus is the most common talking point among the 35,441 Students...and how to stop it!
Yes! our future generation is more enlightened than people give them credit for! Fighting for their beliefs on what's right and what's wrong...Racism in the Academic World is frowned upon by those whose purpose of attending college is to gain knowledge and progress in life. Racism is plain sheer ignorance, and there's no place for Ignorance in Academia!
It all started with one undergraduate student, Jonathan Butler...enough is enough!...he went on a Hunger Strike as a protest until President Tim Wolfe resigned from the University. Anthony Sherril, a member of the Football Team, visited Butler...now in his 6th day on strike...and by the end of the day 32 Black Players went on strike in solidarity with Butler. No more Football till Jonathan Butler breaks his fast and Tim Wolfe is out!
Sherril then tweeted; “The athletes of color on the University of Missouri football team truly believe ‘Injustice Anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere,’” And the dominoes just fell into place...the following day the entire Mizzou Tigers Football squad joined the strikers...and that followed by the culmination...Head Coach Gary Pinkel and Athletics Director Mack Rhoades joined the strike. Pinkel even tweeting "The Mizzou Family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players".
The writing appeared on the wall...bye, bye Tim Wolfe! Then amid the entire University Faculty threatening to walk out, the Board of Curators met in an emergency meeting Monday to discuss what to do, after the Student Government issued a statement calling for Tim Wolfe's resignation. After a close door meeting, Wolfe walked out and announced his resignation 'for the good of the School'...translation: "Get your compensation and leave nicely, or get fired and get shit for comp".
What's so terribly sad about this great Non-Violent Action victory, is what truly motivated the Board to take some action to remove Wolfe...Revenue! By NCAA Rule, a forfeiture by a school must compensate the other school by paying them $1 Million for lost TV revenue, not to mention their own lost revenue. You truly believe this was going to last that long? Money talks in today's world of College Football.
Gene Sharp's influence in Non-Violent Political Action has finally hit the American Campus after years of Non-Violent Revolutions throughout Eastern Europe followed by Egypt...yes! not all are successful...but nothing's perfect in this world...you still have to try your best, fight for what you believe, and never give up!
How Mizzou Football Sacked President Over Racism on Campus - The Daily Beast
