We were reading The Maneater on October 23, and it reminded us of how by having two Homecoming kings and queens perpetuates rather than deters racism in the Mizzou community.

In previous years, there have been African-American royalty including last year’s winner, Xavier Billingsley, who won Homecoming King. It is clear that there are no disadvantages for being any particular race when running for Mizzou Homecoming court. The problem with having two different sets of kings and queens separates the students at Mizzou based on their race and not on their achievements. People of all races have sacrificed their lives to gain equality in America, and we feel that having two separate homecomings insults their memory and what they have accomplished.

When Martin Luther King Jr. stood in Washington protesting inequality, he said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Homecoming kings and queens should be based by the content of their character and not separated by their race like Mizzou is choosing to do. We pride ourselves on being “One Mizzou” but we’re not upholding that motto. We want to be proud to say that our school in no way, shape, or form categorizes people by their race, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else that makes us different.

_—Megan Bales and Carly Tubridy, mlbm88@mail.missouri.edu_