MIT elects first black woman student body president in its history

For the first time in history, students in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have reportedly elected a woman of African American descent as the president of the Undergraduate Association. According to reports, Danielle Geathers and her running mate Yu Jing Chen won the student government elections earlier this month. This comes as, parallel university, Princeton named its first black Valedictorian recently.

According to the University’s records, black students accounted for six per cent of undergraduates out of which 47 per cent were women. Meanwhile, Geathers, who just finished her sophomore year at MIT, served as a diversity officer last year. The talented young woman is currently majoring in Mechanical engineering, international media reported. 

Speaking to international media reporters on her election, she said that in terms of coming from that "diversity space" and being focused on promoting equity across MIT, it would be “important to have someone in the President's role who's focused on that”. She added that through that platform she plans to make the campus as inclusive as possible. She also asserted that though a lot of people thought student leader to be a figurehead role, figureheads could matter in terms of representation. 

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Anti-racism protest in USA

This election comes as anti-racism protest in the US have worsened. The riot started after George Floyd's tragic death has not only angered millions across the world but it has also fueled a fresh wave of protests in various US states. George Floyd was handcuffed and begging for breath after being arrested. But in a video showing the entire incident, the police officer on duty can be seen kneeling on Floyd's neck which resulted in his death. The police officer, Derek Chauvin, was previously fired but now he has been arrested and charged with murder on May 29.

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