Dem senator sees ‘systemic racism’ at University of Missouri

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Monday that she supports protesters fighting perceived racism at the University of Missouri.

“There is systemic racism,” she told host Chris Cuomo on CNN’s “New Day.” “The challenge is to make a decision about the leadership going forward.

{mosads}“I’m proud of the young people on this campus have decided they’re going to make a stand,” McCaskill said. “I really believe that good things are going to come from this because of the passion and commitment from the young people.

“Obviously it is not their fault,” she added of students’ concerns. “What has happened is there has not been enough prioritization of this issue on campus.”

Fox News reported that faculty members are staging classroom walkouts Monday and Tuesday in protest of the college’s handling of racial tensions.

“We, the concerned faculty of the University of Missouri, stand in solidarity with the Mizzou student activists who are advocating for racial justice on our campus and urge all MU faculty to demonstrate their support by walking out,” said Elisa Glick, an associate professor and spokeswoman for The Concerned Faculty in a statement Monday.

McCaskill said the growing support for the student body’s concerns must trouble University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe.

“I don’t believe the president is in the dark at this point about how bad things are,” she said of Wolfe. “I believe that the University is going to change the page today.”

According to multiple reports, more than two dozen football players announced last weekend that they are boycotting their sport until Wolfe resigns.

African-American students have targeted the administrator over his handling of racially tinged incidents at the school’s campus. Multiple reports say that minorities have faced bigoted language and vandalism