By J1 Reporter Rowan Hamm

The tradition of Walk-A-Thon (WAT) and the party that follows is a long held and highly anticipated event at Marian. Students look forward to the celebration of their fundraising endeavors in the parking lot following the walk around the area surrounding Marian. Even though all Marian students participated in the fundraising aspect of WAT, not everyone was able to enjoy the color powder party this year. 

Many students were not able to participate in the color powder party this year in fear of the powder embedding itself in their hair. A majority of students who were not able to participate in the color party after the walk were Black students wanting to protect their protective hairstyles. Because the students did not want to sacrifice their hair for the color party, they sat far away from the party under the shade of the surrounding trees. Student Board member, junior Caroline McDonald commented that “it was devastating to see how many Black students weren’t able to participate in this year’s theme.” 

While some students brought bonnets or other forms of hair protection for the color party, McDonald noted that “students shouldn’t have to sacrifice their sleeping tool just to get it dirty with color.” Student Board members met on the Monday after the event to discuss the outcome of WAT and propose ways to improve future WAT parties. McDonald said that she believes Marian student government can improve the WAT party experience by “providing shower caps or even just having another activity for people to do.” McDonald underlines the fact that “it is really important that everybody can participate in WAT.” It is important to continue having conversations on how we can make Marian a more welcoming and inclusive space for everyone.