#onemizzou | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

organized-spontaneity · 9 years

Text

I’m proud of my university for letting their voices be heard and enacting change. I’m proud of my university for being a front-runner on the fight against racism and the fight for equality. I’m not proud to be from an area that continues to marginalize students more by claiming they are not marginalized. I’m disappointed in members of my community acting like this has never been an issue until it was brought up by protests. I’m disappointed in the people who stand idly by because they themselves are “not racist.” I’m disgusted by the media’s actions in this situation and their insensitivity to a hurting community. Lastly, I’m proud of all of the other universities that have decided to stand for and with ConcernedStudent1950.

#mizzou #university of missouri #concernedstudent1950 #racism #onemizzou

1 note · View note

annievandan · 9 years

Text

Speaking up about my alma mater, Mizzou

I shared this story and received such warm response on FB. Sometimes it’s hard writing a post like this because you make yourself vulnerable. You put yourself in a position where you can be criticized by the trolls of social media. I hope Mizzou’s reputation is not tarnished by the recent racial incidents, which would certainly be a step backward. The students’ efforts and conviction should not be in vain. Let us move forward in a positive, uplifting and inclusive light!

Speaking up about my alma mater Mizzou! I see all the comments about what a horrible and racist school it is, and it's hard to believe that this is where I spent 4 years of my life and the same place where I can say "I found myself." I want to share a story about racial solidarity that I was reminded of thanks to Pablo Bueno Mendoza, the former director of the MU Multicultural Center.

In 2006, as officers of the Asian American Association, Chris Gu and I spent months trying to get a diversity fee for Asian American students approved by the Missouri Students Association (MSA). At the time, there was a small fee charged to every single student enrolled on campus that went towards African-American/black cultural programming. This is similar to how students have to pay fees for printing or to use their rec center. Asking every student for $1 multiplied by the 35,000 student population would go a long way! The black students had great events and even their own building, the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.

And what were the Asian-American students doing? We were hosting car washes and ice cream fundraisers. We were riding in my Honda Civic to attend Midwest Asian American Students Union (MAASU) and showing up at conferences, asking other students if we could sleep on their hotel floor. We spent so much time focused on fundraising that we could hardly produce programs. We knew this needed to change.

We wrote the legislation to present in front of MSA, the student government, that needed to approve the funding. MSA only met once per month and they had already turned down our bill three times! It was April of 2006 and this would be the last meeting before the year ended and the last chance to get it approved. During this meeting, the same student leaders continued to criticize the bill and explain that since Asian-American students only made up 3.5% of the student population, we didn't need the money or the programming. At that time, the President of the Legion Of Black Collegians Student Government, Jabari, stood up and said, "Look, the struggle of being a person of color is real on this campus! It is the same regardless if you are black, Hispanic or Asian. If you won't give the Asian-American students this funding, we don't want ours anymore either."

It was incredibly powerful! And an experience that sparked my personal interest and activism for multicultural and diversity issues. That next year, the Asian-American students got their money! So did the African-American, Hispanic/Latino and the American Indian (a year later, LGBT). A shared diversity fee was implemented for the 'races' based on their percentage of the student population. While Asian-Americans only made up a small percent, we went from zero funding to $25,000 - taking charter buses to MAASU and hosting incredible Asian-American awareness weeks! I still can't believe it! (Alex, Kha, JonAmon, Alana, Michelle).

I reflect on this experience because I truly believe the voice of this one person is what made all the difference. Sometimes we don't say anything because we don't think a situation affects us or it isn't directed towards "our people." But we all have a voice to stand up for others! To speak up when we see something isn't right or fair. Show your solidarity; the struggle is real no matter your color (white included). I have to thank Mizzou for this experience and many others that have made me proud to be a person of color. And thank all of the non-POCs, or white friends smile emoticon, that have always been there helping and fighting right beside us. It is not a fight against the whites. We are after all, ‪#‎OneMizzou‬. ‪#‎ConcernedStudent1950‬

#OneMizzou #concernedstudent1950 #Mizzou

0 notes

asiawhathappened · 9 years

Text

I'm a student at Mizzou

And I have never felt unsafe at a place I call home. My fellow classmates should not have to feel unsafe for the color of their skin. No, I'm not black, so I can't empathize. However, I can sympathize and stand up for them because I don't see how skin color makes someone better/worse. If people were fucking EDUCATED, they'd know that black people are EVERYONE'S ancestors. White skin is a mutation caused from when black people migrated to Europe from Africa and need paler skin to absorb more sun. But no, people think white is the best because they're arrogant, childish, and pathetic pieces of garbage. My African-American friend is afraid to come to school because the KKK was here last night and there were people surround black people IN CARS to trap them/surround them/intimidate them. Something needs to be done, but I don't know what to do? I know that sounds pathetic, I want to help, but I honestly don't know how.

#mizzou #onemizzou

2 notes · View notes