Remember the proposed strike that was initiated by more than 32 black football players from Mizzou? Well, it seems that their actions were so powerful that a Missouri lawmaker has proposed a bill that will strip away scholarships of any college athlete in Missouri who chooses to strike in the future. Wonder what the NCAA will do about this? They are likely in favor of the proposed legislation, since it will ultimately benefit them. Their push-back against student athletes at Northwestern attempting to form a union to protect their rights is proof that they support keeping college athletes in check. View HB 1743 here.
The rapid success of the threat of a strike by these players was the biggest display of how crucial it is to, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “anchor our external direct action to economic empowerment.” This bill is an attempt to contain that power before other student athletes try to use it again, not only in Missouri, but setting a precedent for other states as well.
A Missouri Republican has proposed a new bill that would revoke scholarships of collegiate athletes for striking. pic.twitter.com/x7vrOZIG9y
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) December 14, 2015
Mizzou Homecoming Parade Protest, Oct. 13, 2015
To further understand what black students are dealing with at Mizzou (and across the country for that matter), watch this video that displays the strength of #ConcernedStudent1950 almost 1 month before the football team decided to stand behind their classmates in solidarity. Former University President, Tim Wolfe, is in the passenger seat of the red convertible that students are blocking during their protest. The driver, at one point, clipped one of the students while trying to pass and Tim Wolfe took no steps whatsoever to make sure that the student was alright or to de-escalate the situation once white parade attendees confronted and challenged the safety of the protesters.
Roughly two weeks after the parade protest, a swastika was painted on a dorm room wall with excrement and again, there was no action or response by the university. The following day, black graduate student, Jonathan Butler (shown in the middle of the photo above wearing a blue shirt), began a hunger strike.