The Legion of Black Collegians, a historic Black student group at the University of Missouri, reluctantly changed the name of an upcoming barbecue at the university’s direction, Inside Higher Ed reported Monday.
The Welcome Black BBQ will now be called the Welcome Black and Gold BBQ, the Legion of Black Collegians announced in a recent Instagram post. The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.
“We, the Legion of Black Collegians, are heartbroken” to announce the name change, the post began. “The Legion spent several months fighting this decision and finding a way to preserve the original title and message. When presented with the idea, we initially wanted to keep the original name or not have the event at all.”
An MU spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed’s Jessica Blake the name change is supposed to signal greater inclusivity.
“We must not exclude (or give impressions that we are excluding) individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” Christopher Ave said in an email to the publication. “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.”
The barbecue is meant to be “a staple for incoming and returning Black students to make connections and find their space at Mizzou,” the LBC wrote in its Instagram post.
The LBC chose to move forward with the renamed event, so as to honor the work of organizers and collaborators and to avoid any “consequences that could lead to massive losses for our government so early into the year,” the post noted.
The LBC “is the only Black Student Government in the Nation, all other schools have a Black Student Union or a Black Student Alliance,” according to its website.
The organization was founded in 1968 after the song “Dixie” was sung and a Confederate flag waved at an MU football game, the site notes.
As the Inside Higher Ed report makes clear, this change comes at a volatile moment for inclusion efforts at MU and other colleges and universities across the country. Last month, MU reorganized its Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, essentially eliminating it. The change went into effect just a few days ago, ahead of the start of the fall semester.
Unlike DEI decisions in other states where people lost jobs, leaders within the division are shifting roles to other university departments and divisions, MU president Mun Choi said in an announcement last month.
The LBC “remains steadfast” in resisting change to other programs, the Instagram post said.
“We are looking into all avenues to NEVER allow this to happen again. If it does, rest assured the Legion will have nothing to do with it. 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.”
The Tribune’s Charles Dunlap contributed to this report.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] or by calling 573-815-1731. He’s on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: MU’s Legion of Black Collegians ‘heartbroken’ over renaming barbecue
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