Former Mizzou President Blames Black Lives Matter For His Termination


Gawker discovered that Former University of Missouri president, Tim Wolfe, sent a confidential email to confidants regarding his resignation called upon by Black Lives Matter students on campus last year. The letter was sent nearly 10 days ago.

This email focused on Black Lives Matter protests enacted on campus at the time. The Inquisitr reported that the reason for these protests, where even some Mizzou professors were threatening to walk off the job and join students, were due to black student groups shedding light on the campus’ frequent use of racial slurs — allegedly used by some white students — and other acts of discriminatory behavior.

Some of these instances of overt racism, called out by black students and Black Lives Matter, include feces-drawn Swastikas on dorm walls. Another alleged instance includes someone riding by a black member of the student government and hurling racist vitriol at the individual.

The Black Lives Matter protests came in the form of hunger strikes and sit-ins with cries for Wolfe to step down for being perceived as being impartial on the entire issue.

Black Lives Matter protesters/students on the Mizzou Campus [Image via Getty Images/Michael B. Thomas]
Black Lives Matter protesters/students on the Mizzou Campus. [Image via Getty Images/Michael B. Thomas]
The protests gained a lot of mainstream momentum when 30 black football players announced they would not practice or play until Wolfe was removed from office or voluntarily stepped down. This also garnered a lot of national attention for the University as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The team gave a joint statement on the issue.

“We will no longer participate in any football related activities until President Tim Wolfe resigns or is removed due to his negligence toward marginalized students’ experience. WE ARE UNITED!!!!!”

The Mizzou football players and the Black Lives Matter activists getting involved were the main topics in Wolfe’s email, rather than his own actions. His letter was four pages long and consisted of a bullet point scapegoat list for his termination and seemingly condemned the Black Lives Matter movement.

Some of the people of interest include:

  • His boss, ex-Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin
  • Ex-Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel and the football players who joined the strike.
  • An unnamed “significant Ferguson protestor,” and Black Lives Matter activist whom Gawker reports as being DeRay McKesson.

Prominent Black Lives Matter activist speaking at a GLAAD event who Wolfe was most likely referring to, DeRay McKesson. McKesson also played a big role during the Ferguson, Missouri protests. [Photo via Getty Images/Kimberly White]
Prominent Black Lives Matter activist speaking at a GLAAD event who Wolfe was most likely referring to, DeRay McKesson. McKesson also played a big role during the Ferguson, Missouri protests and he was the Mizzou campus during the protest. [Photo via Getty Images/Kimberly White]
Contrarily, the emails did reveal that Wolfe was willing to “accept some of the responsibility,” as he stated; however critics and analysts of the entire situation contend that Wolfe still fell short of acknowledging his error in handling the Black Lives Matter protesters. Or, at the very least, showing some accountability for his inaction.

Wolfe slammed former coach Pinkel on the Black Lives Matter issue in a chastising excerpt.

“Coach Pinkel missed an important opportunity to teach his players a valuable life lesson.” The former president was, in effect, stating that the former coach should have stuck with him during the fiasco and instead discipline his players for speaking out.”

As for Black Lives Matter, Wolfe wrote the following.

“My sudden decision to resign was largely motivated by a significant pending event that was to occur on the campus the day I resigned. We had brought in Diversity and Inclusion consulting experts that had dealt with this issue before at other campuses. They, along with the FBI, Missouri Highway Patrol, Columbia Police Department and MU Campus police were aware of a significant Ferguson protestor on our MU campus and there was a threat that more were coming in for significant protest that day…”

You can read the entire four-page email below.

[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
[Image via Gawker]
How do you think the Former president of Mizzou handled the issues with Black Lives Matter and his resignation?

[Image via AP Photo/Jeff Roberson]

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