Mizzou Strike Grows

After the bombshell dropped by Mizzou football a few days ago, a strike in solidarity with hunger striker Jonathan Butler, the immediate reaction of the most clever reporters was to count the number of people and immediately imagine possible conflict (e.g. "hmmmm I'm counting 29 players, all African American, the total roster is 58 with 43 African-American, that means 14 who aren't there.")

While that made me ill for numerous reasons, the least of which is his belief that he "knew" exactly how many "African-Americans" were on the team, the team answered this directly and immediately. The head coach of the University of Missouri, Coach Gary Pinkel, and his name does deserve a bit of notice here, tweeted this picture,

and said, 

Notice their locked arms, the physical intimacy - itself an act, both presenting and representing, solidarity.

They are under intense pressure, I'm sure, and the abuse they will receive is hardly insubstantial.