COLUMBIA — Dozens of floats from political causes and organizations joined local and student groups in the University of Missouri’s 2024 Homecoming Parade on Saturday, less than three weeks until the November general election.
Before the Homecoming game, hundreds of parade-watchers gathered on the streets of downtown Columbia, some filling the balconies of their apartments to watch the parade. This year marks MU’s 113th Homecoming celebration.
While some parade participants were pleased with the Homecoming tradition, others were disappointed by the number of political messages they felt were divisive.
Parade participants Nancy Lewandowski and Maggie Peters went to the parade together hoping to get excited about the game, but were surprised by an unexpected political development.
Lewandowski had seen advertisements for local elections, but was surprised to see national candidates mentioned. In any case, she felt the parade was overly politicized, so she said she cheered when parade-goers came by with signs urging spectators to vote yes on the Third Amendment. said.
“This should be a unifying experience,” Lewandowski said. “That’s completely changed with the political spotlight.”
“Let’s make everyone’s voice heard”
Peters said the political nature of the parade contradicts the precedent set after the Mizzou student group seeking justice in Palestine was blocked from participating in the parade.
MSJP’s intention in participating in the parade was to “share the Palestinian cause and culture with Mizzou and the broader Colombian community by displaying traditional Palestinian costumes and dance (dabkeh),” the organization said. said in a post on Instagram.
MSJP said in an Instagram post that the reality of being Palestinian and showing support for Palestinians continues to be seen as inherently controversial.
“(Instead of seeing MSJP in the parade) we saw all of these polarizing political floats,” Peters said.
MSJP protesters walked on the opposite side of the parade holding placards calling for a ceasefire during the event.
“If the parade is going to be political, everyone’s voice needs to be heard,” Lewandowski said.
Space for voter education
Some were disappointed by the amount of political messaging at the parade, while others saw it as an opportunity to educate voters.
County Commissioner Janet Thompson is running for her fourth four-year term as District 2 Commissioner, and as an MU alumnus she not only wants to share the spirit of the school, but also to vote and mentor the next generation. He said he participated in the parade to emphasize the importance of educating people. .
“Your vote is your voice,” Thompson said.
In the minutes leading up to the parade, she was contacted by a community member, the Rev. James Gray, who said she had come to the parade to support the people she wanted inducted, one of whom was Ms. Thompson. said.
“Bringing multiple ethnicities to the table”
Gary Counts and his wife Trisha Smart Counts traveled from Wichita, Kansas, to attend Homecoming. They came to cheer on their daughters, who participated in the parade with their sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha and participated in the 2024 National Panhellenic Council Homecoming Step Show on Friday night.
Their son also flew in from Texas to participate in the weekend’s festivities.
Counts said celebrating MU’s traditions is a “family event.”
“(Traditions) provide a continuation of what happened in the past and enlighten us for the future,” Counts said. “It brings people back together to celebrate and unite.”
The Count said it was important to include multiple ethnicities in these traditions.
Alpha Kappa Alpha is a historically black sorority. Smart Counts said she was excited to see the sorority participate in the parade because, as she noticed last year, there was a lack of representation throughout the event. She said she hopes MU will encourage more groups of students from different backgrounds to participate in the parade in the future.
She said she hopes young parade viewers will see their backgrounds represented and think, “One day I can be a part of the parade.”
