Racial Tensions on Campus

Today, University of Missouri system president Tim Wolf stepped down from his post amid outcry from students and the wider university community about his recent handling of several racially tense situations on campus and a hunger strike by one student calling or Wolf’s resignation. From police brutality to the burning of several African American churches, it is clear that there is much work to be done in the United States to heal racial tensions. Talk with young adults about their concerns and think of ways to build relationships with people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds in your parish and wider community:

  • What examples of racial tensions or racial injustice have you observed this week in the news or in your own community?
  • What larger concerns do these examples raise in your mind?
  • What might you or your young adult group do to become more informed about issues of racial justice and reconciliation?
  • How might you build relationships with people in different racial and ethnic communities in your parish or in the wider community? What groups might you partner with to do this work?