Emma Schaible/Fourth Estate
Mason student government faces backlash over delayed Black History Month post
BY BARRETT BALZER, NEWS EDITOR
February is Black History Month, which celebrates and highlights African Americans’ societal impact, struggles and triumphs. Various Resident Student Organizations celebrate Black History Month around or on Feb.1, posting an Instagram post to commemorate. Recently, the Mason Student Government (MSG) received backlash over a delayed upload of such a post.
On Feb. 7, MSG released an Instagram statement that said, “We honor the painful history of slavery and systemic racism and celebrate the many outstanding achievements and pivotal contributions that Black people have made to society and culture today.”
Four days before the statement, MSG shared their first February post to announce their new partnership with the First-Gen+ Center. The video featured Student Body President Maria Cuesta discussing how first-generation students can become informed and involved in the Mason community through the “How to Navigate College Guide.”
A second post, two days later on Feb. 5, spoke on “institutional neutrality.” The post recounted a new policy adopted by Mason on Dec. 5th. The policy states that the office of the president and other high standing offices within the university may only deliver statements to the general public that remain neutral. MSG uses a quote from this policy in their post, “[“The Kalven Report”] advises that universities, which represent a wide array of diverse viewpoints, do not falsely represent their community by making political statements.”
Within the comment section of the post, around 97 users commented, “Happy Black History Month.”
“Choosing “neutrality” as opposed to taking a stand against fascism, discrimination, and prejudice IS choosing a side [by the way],” one commenter shared.
After MSG posted their Black History Month statement on Feb. 7, President Cuesta published an official statement to the cuestamcaulaygmu Instagram account. “It’s February 7th – one week into Black History Month – and our organization, which claims to represent the most diverse student body in Virginia, has failed to properly use both its social media and advocacy platform to honor, celebrate, and uplift George Mason’s Black student community,” said Cuesta.
Cuesta said that by posting about institutional neutrality instead of Black History Month, “we failed to acknowledge the broader context of our political climate and the significance of Black History Month. It was harmful and there was no excuse for it.”
Cuesta also expressed regret by not attending a Black student-led presentation due to the decision of attending a dinner with President Washington. “But being the student body president means advocating for all members of the Mason community, and I recognize the harm that was caused as a result of my absence at last night’s Cabinet meeting,” the statement read.
