Naomi Collier, an African American student at the University of Missouri said while she has attended the University, there has been “the most racial discrimination I have ever experienced in my life.”
In an interview on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on Tuesday Collier told Mitchell, “I don’t feel comfortable and a lot of our students don’t feel comfortable in an environment where racial discrimination is essentially condoned.” (RELATED: Mizzou Professor Calls For ‘Muscle’ To Help Remove Reporter Covering Protests [VIDEO])
“I came to the University of Missouri in 2013, I’m from St. Louis, Missouri, and this is the most racial discrimination I have ever experienced in my life,” claimed Collier. “Again, it can be something very basic on a daily basis that some people don’t even understand is racial discrimination or some people don’t understand is being just you know, insensitive to the struggles that we go through on a daily basis.”
On example Collier gave was that one woman was “called out over their name.” Suggesting, “these things happen on a regular basis. It has been I would say accepted in our culture somewhat and that’s not okay. I don’t feel comfortable and a lot of our students don’t feel comfortable in an environment where racial discrimination is essentially condoned.”
Regarding the reporter who was prevented from covering the protests, Mitchell asked Collier if there was a way “to get back to some sort of civil discourse here or there is still so much tension, you have a ways to go.” (RELATED: Mizzou Students Form A ‘No Media Safe Space’ To Block Reporters)
Collier explained that the media “can be overwhelming and insensitive to the feelings and emotions that are present at that time. So I think what that photographer experienced was kind of the backlash of that, and again, he may have just been ignorant or uneducated about how that particular group of students were feeling at the time and again, I understand he had to do his job but there has to be an ethical line right there at that moment.” (RELATED: Here’s More Video Of A Reporter’s Encounter With Mizzou Professor Who Called For ‘Muscle’ [VIDEO])