Mizzou defunded this Black student group. Here’s who is stepping in to help
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Alfred Street Baptist Church pledged money to The Legion of Black Collegians.
- Mizzou withdrew dedicated funding for five identity-based student groups after a DOJ memo.
- The Legion urges restoring its student government status and finalizing donations.
A Virginia church has pledged money to The Legion of Black Collegians, Mizzou’s historic black student council, which the university announced it would stop funding in April.
The University of Missouri said it plans to pull dedicated funding for five identity-based student organizations in the upcoming school year: the Legion, the Asian American Association, the Association of Latin American Students, Four Front and the Queer Liberation Front.
Alfred Street Baptist Church, a historically Black church located in Alexandria, Virginia, announced during its Sunday service that it would donate an unspecified amount of money to the organization.
“With all the pushback with DEI, that black organization of students on campus at the University of Missouri was defunded because it was an organization for people of color like us,” the Rev. Howard-John Wesley said during a church service on Sunday.
Wesley said the church would be funding the Legion, and called out the government and Trump administration for its push against DEI initiatives in schools.
“Alfred Street Baptist Church is funding the Legion of Black Collegians on the campus of the University of Missouri, so that this government and this administration know when you won’t support us, we will support our own,” Wesley said.
Mizzou Chancellor Mun Choi said in a staff meeting last month that the university decided after reviewing a Department of Justice memo on the boundaries of DEI. A Mizzou spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday morning.
Legion of Black Collegians president Amaya Morgan said in a statement that the organization is “deeply grateful” for the support it has received from “churches, Black alumni, allies and the broader community” that have supported them.
The details of donations are still being worked out, Morgan said, and the Legion’s focus this summer is to develop plans for its organization and other student groups the Legion oversees.
“Our primary goal remains unchanged, and that is urging the University of Missouri’s leadership to restore LBC’s student government status and to reverse its unjust decision to defund us and the organizations we represent,” Morgan said.
How much funding was lost?
Mizzou dedicated about $140,000 for the five impacted student groups. They will now compete with the over 650 “recognized student organizations” at Mizzou that are eligible to apply for a limited pool of funds from the university.
The amount of money Mizzou provides for recognized student organizations is capped at $3,000 per year in the 2025-2026 school year. The Legion of Black Collegians received about $60,000 during the same period of time.
Morgan previously told The Star that the scale the Legion and other organizations operate at would not be covered with $3,000.
The Legion of Black Collegians was formed in 1968 and was recognized by the university in 1969.
The university and the Legion have been at odds at times over the years. Mizzou has cancelled two of the student organization’s events since 2024 for using the word “Black” in event titles, saying it could give the impression of racial exclusivity, even though the events were open to all students.
The Department of Justice memo that Mizzou cited for defunding the student groups says that resource allocation to identity groups could be unlawful, even if it’s only perceived.
“Even if access is technically open to all, the identity-based focus creates a perception of segregation and may foster a hostile environment,” the memo says. “This extends to any resource allocation – such as study spaces, computer labs, or event venues – that segregates access based on protected characteristics, even if intended to create ‘safe spaces.’”
The Trump administration has taken efforts to curtail DEI, but Mizzou wasn’t being investigated for any alleged misconduct when Mizzou made the decision to cut funding.
The four other groups that Mizzou defunded didn’t immediately respond Tuesday morning to an email from The Star seeking comment about how their student groups are making up for lost funding.
