Black Student Group at University of Missouri Told to Rename Its ‘Welcome Black BBQ’ Event

Students at the University of Missouri–Columbia in Columbia, Mo., on Nov. 9, 2015. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

A black student group at the University of Missouri was forced to change the name of its upcoming “Welcome Black BBQ” event due to the school’s concerns over a lack of inclusivity, it has claimed.

The group, the Legion of Black Collegians, said in an Aug. 17 post on Instagram that it was heartbroken at having to change the event name to the “Welcome Black and Gold BBQ.”

The barbecue will be held on Aug. 23 at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time.

According to the post, the group spent “several months” fighting the decision and trying to keep the event’s original name and message.

“When presented with the idea, we initially wanted to keep the original name or not have the event at all,” the group wrote.

However, the group ultimately decided that it did not want to “override the hard work our government and other black student leaders put into this nor face consequences that could lead to massive losses for our government so early into the year.”

Despite the name change, the Legion of Black Collegians said it still strongly encourages students and faculty members at the public university in Columbia to attend the event.

“Although this is not the desired outcome, we still want the barbecue to remain a staple for incoming and returning Black students to make connections and find their space at Mizzou,” the group said.

Christopher Ave, a spokesman for the University of Missouri, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that “achieving excellence for all” is at the core of the university’s mission.

“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 spokesman added that the “Welcome Black BBQ” event name was “modified in collaboration with event organizers to reflect that [the] campus is open and welcoming to all.”

On its website, the Legion of Black Collegians—also known as LBC or The Legion—describes itself as the only black student government in the United States, because “all other schools have a Black Student Union or a Black Student Alliance.”

The group was formed in the fall of 1968 and officially recognized by the university as a government in 1969.

“The Legion was started by members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Zeta Alpha Chapter, as well as other students on campus who felt that enough was enough and Black Students needed a voice, as well as some form of a Government to advocate for them,” the website states.

“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. If it does, rest assured the Legion will have nothing to do with it,” the group wrote in its post on Instagram.

“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 Associated Press contributed to this report.