NaomiDelkamiller

Marian’s first public statement regarding race after the death of George Floyd was a controversial start. The June 2 Instagram post made by @omahamarian featured a student-made mural from Feb. 7, which was created in honor of Black History Month. Marian’s president, Mary Higgins, said the intent of the post was to “authentically express a message of support and compassion.” “We did not want to be silent,” she said.

The photo was accompanied by a short caption that said: “Compassion. Empowerment. Community. We stand with and support our students of color.”

Reactions to the post were a combination of support and criticism- some comments expressed gratitude that Marian had said something about the matter, others were critical that the school did not say enough . Within minutes the post had hundreds of responses from Marian students, along with other Instagram users, who felt it was a “disappointing, bland and insensitive way to show support.”

The post was deleted two hours after its initial upload due to students and faculty being targeted in the comment section. With more than 200 likes and hundreds of comments, the greater Marian community made it clear that Marian needs to “be better.” While this statement can sound vague, three Zoom meetings between students and administrators throughout the month of June has made that request more clear.