Mizzou student group made to rename 'Welcome Black BBQ' to be more welcoming to all students
A primarily black student group at the University of Missouri was recently forced to change the name of a back-to-school barbecue that it is planning on hosting.
The Legion of Black Collegians reportedly intended to name the event the 'Welcome Black BBQ,' but was forced to change the name by the university administration.
A primarily black student group at the University of Missouri was recently forced to change the name of a back-to-school barbecue that it is planning on hosting.
The Legion of Black Collegians reportedly intended to name the event the “Welcome Black BBQ,” but was forced to change the name by the university administration. The event, which is scheduled to be hosted on Friday, will now be called the “Welcome Black and Gold BBQ,” a reference to the school’s colors.
The group wrote in an Instagram post on Aug. 16 that it is “heartbroken” at the name change.
“We, the Legion of Black Collegians, are heartbroken to inform our constituents and supporters that the ‘Welcome Black BBQ’ will operate under the name of ‘Welcome Black and Gold BBQ’ this fall,” the group said in the post. “The Legion spent several months fighting this decision and finding a way to preserve the original title and message.”
The group continued to state that, when it was initially confronted, it preferred to cancel the event entirely rather than be forced to change the name. “When presented with the idea, we initially wanted to keep the original name or not have the event at all,” the group added.
The Legion of Black Collegians concluded that it will never again allow the university administration to interfere with its internal event planning and coordination.
“The Legion remains steadfast in combatting any further changes to our fundamental programming. We are looking into all avenues to NEVER allow this to happen again,” the group said. “The erasure of the names and visibility of our events will continue to erode our presence on this campus, and we plan to do everything we can to divest from that.”
In a statement provided to Campus Reform, university spokesman Christopher Ave said that the school supported the name change so that the event will not appear to exclude any students from attending.
”And clearly, in striving for an inclusive university, we must not exclude (or give impressions that we are excluding) individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” Ave said. “The name of this university-sponsored event was modified in collaboration with event organizers to reflect that our campus is open and welcoming to all.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Missouri for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
