Almost every student on the University of Missouri campus is familiar with and has taken classes in a building known as Middlebush Hall. Despite this familiarity, however, not everyone is aware of the vile legacy of the namesake for the building.

Frederick Middlebush was the 13th president of the University of Missouri. He cemented a legacy by tripling enrollment following WWII and seeing the completion of Memorial Union.

However, he was also the reason for the monumental court case Gaines v. Canada, in which Lloyd Gaines was denied admission to the University of Missouri law school solely on the basis of race. At this time, African-American students could not attend any law schools within the State of Missouri. This court case established an African-American law school within Missouri, and ended up being a precursor to integrated schooling following Brown v. Board.

When Gaines submitted his application, there was no box marking race. He was completely qualified for admittance into the school. Once reading the transcript and realizing his race, the university ignored his application and asked to talk to him about possible other arrangements and advice for him. When Gaines wrote to Middlebush to ask as to what this meant, he ignored his letter. Middlebush and the board later responded that segregated higher education was the public policy of the state and Gaines could not be admitted.

Please, help us recognize the racist history of our school, one that has experienced decades of protests on these issues. Forcing students to take their courses in a building named for a racist in hurtful for out entire student body. Renaming one of the biggest halls on campus from that of a racist president of the university is an important step in bettering our school.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_L._Gaines​

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_ex_rel._Gaines_v._Canada​

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2015/11/13/mizzou-president-1930s-and-40s-may-have-set-tone-todays-crises-essay