SGA Must Speak Up, Be Advocates for Black Students
Campus groups, including athletics, Greek Life and many clubs, have something crucial in common: they’ve shared statements on social media standing in solidarity with the Black community following national demonstrations. However, despite being a group leading the student body, Marist’s Student Government Association (SGA) has failed to do so.
As stated on their website, the Marist SGA is “the group for advocating on behalf of the student body in decisions which transcend the jurisdiction of the students and have taken on extreme significance, or which involve serious issues with college faculty, staff, or administration.”
In 2019 alone, the police killed 259 Black people, with 37 being unarmed or unclear. Despite being only 13 percent of the U.S. population, Black lives accounted for 24 percent of the 1,098 kills made by police in 2019, according to Mapping Police Violence. George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis galvanized a movement that has spread to all 50 states and even around the world. I consider the unjust taking of Black lives, as well as the requisite international demonstrations, to be of “extreme significance.”
Marist is a predominantly white institution, with 74.6 percent of its population identifying as white. Multiple recent instances –– including a student’s appearance in a social media post containing a racial slur and the college’s delayed response to national happenings –– show that the Marist’s awareness and racial diversity must improve. With these incidents in mind, it is important that the student leaders the campus community looks up to speak up when we need their fair and unwavering leadership the most.
In addition to their responsibilities as advocates for Marist students, the SGA also guides other student organizations on courses of action to best benefit the student body. With no acknowledgment of the death of George Floyd, the protests surrounding his death, police brutality or the faults of college campuses in perpetuating racial microaggressions, this begs the question: if the group responsible for students’ wellbeing remains silent, what can we expect of any other campus group?
By no means will I ever understand what it means to be Black and the experiences or history that accompany people of color. But, our student leaders are failing to acknowledge the privilege they have to stay silent when others are fighting for their lives. As representatives for a college committed to creating “an environment that reflects the diversity of our nation and the world, ensuring that all members of our community feel welcomed, valued, and supported,” remaining silent is not an option. Not only is it morally wrong, but it also contradicts the very core of what our student government and Marist promise to stand for.
This is why the SGA and its lack of response is so frustrating –– the SGA communicates pertinent information between the college and student groups about happenings affecting the entire campus. Because we have heard nothing from the SGA, an entity that works so closely with campus administration to advocate for students, it is difficult to understand how our elected student officials plan to act. Or if they plan to at all.
While the SGA has not posted on Instagram or Twitter since May 15, other student groups have voiced their support for the Black community and condemned the killing of George Floyd. Marist Athletics posted an excerpt of their communication to student-athletes, explaining the importance of diversity and dedicating themselves to promoting equality. Marist’s Student Programming Council voiced their empathy for George Floyd and his family as well as those affected by racism, also pledging to strive for acceptance of everyone. Marist First-Year Programs acknowledged their Black students, colleagues, alumni and members of the community and encouraged those who may be uneducated to learn and act.
Marist’s climate is by no means ideal, and the school still has much progress to make. The Board-level committee announced Friday may be a step in the right direction. But, these organizations and many others have committed to educating themselves and supporting those who have endured injustices, all to better the campus’s racial climate. In order to act as our true student advocate, the SGA needs to do the same.
Other campus groups have publicly shared their intentions to unite the campus and their pledge to do better. But we depend perhaps even more heavily on our student leaders for a response and plan of action. Something needs to change on our campus, and while we can all contribute, we need guidance from those who claim to have our best interests at heart. SGA must advocate for all students on campus, not stay silent. Our SGA must do better. We must do better.
