Marist’s Response Comes Far Too Late In Wake of Nationwide Protests

Following another senseless killing of an unarmed black man last week, America’s streets have been filled with protesters every day following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. It seems the issue has hit a tipping point, as many protests have turned violent. Police have unleashed teargas, pepper spray and rubber bullets in order to control crowds in cities across the nation. 

In today’s social media-centric world, it appears that nearly everyone has spoken out on the issue, especially after Blackout Tuesday. Marist College’s main Instagram and Twitter pages did not take part –– in fact, the school released no formal message regarding national protests until Wednesday at 5:03 p.m. 

President Dennis J. Murray released a statement almost three full days after he sent out a college-wide email addressing a photo of a Marist student that included a racial slur. Today’s statement comes far too late. We are now nine days removed from George Floyd’s death, and those nine days have been some of the most turbulent in recent American history. We are undoubtedly living in a moment that will be remembered for years to come. 

At a predominantly white college, it’s important for our leadership to make their stance clear on these issues. There should not be any debate over releasing a statement on something like this, and it certainly should not have taken nine days. The mistreatment of African Americans by police in our country is not a controversial issue to take a stand on. Speaking out against systemic racism should not even be a question.

In comparison, Vassar College, which is located only a few miles from the Marist in Poughkeepsie, has handled the situation completely differently. On Sunday, May 31, Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley provided an extremely powerful message, making their stance on the issue overwhelmingly clear.

It goes deeper. On Tuesday, ahead of the “We Can’t Breathe” protest in Poughkeepsie, a Twitter user captured dozens of police vehicles parked in the McCann parking lot. This is yet another slap in the face to the Marist community, especially to the members who are people of color. Opening up the campus to police at this time is simply insensitive, especially considering the social media incident that occurred only two days prior. 

As a community, Marist needs to do better. If the college wants to improve its diversity statistics, they will have to first look at their own administration. In order to become a more accepting campus, issues of this caliber must be dealt with more promptly.

Though we may be a small school, we are a community of young people that will soon be leading the country into the future. When our time at Marist comes to an end, it’s important that we enter the workforce knowing that we got what we paid for: a great education and an understanding of what it means to be an ethical member of society. 

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” 

- Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.