If there is any silver lining to these current, increasingly racially polarized times, it's the strengthened bond that happens when an entire community unites in defense of its right to matter. This generation of politically conscious and socially woke millennials is serious about occupying spaces where they are celebrated, not tolerated. A recent testament of this revived cohesion is evident in a report released by The New York Times on Sunday which shows a sharp decline in black enrollment at the University of Missouri.

In 2015 Mizzou black student activists made headlines when they stood up against prevalent acts of racism on campus and the subsequent inaction of university administrators. Their protest, which included several members of the Mizzou football team, eventually lead to the president's resignation. Nearly two years later, Mizzou has yet to restore its damaged reputation among prospective students.

                                                                 

It's not just black students who are shunning the university. According to The Times, freshmen enrollment has fallen by 35 percent. While the university did not provide a racial breakdown of this fall's incoming freshman class, we do know that black freshmen enrollment decreased by 42 percent between 2015 and 2016 and dropped by 21 percent among white students. The decline in tuition revenue has forced budget cuts. In conjunction with overall cuts in state funding, the university has taken a major financial blow, temporarily closing seven dorms and laying off more than 400 workers.

A testament of solidarity and effective allyship, this is a tangible example of the financial and institutional consequences of racism.