An ISU nursing student was shown in a racist video about Beyoncé. Here's what happened next.

Indiana State University students protested on campus on Monday over the administration's response to a student video containing racist comments against the Black community.

According to the Indiana Statesman, Indiana State University's campus newspaper, the discriminatory remarks were originally posted to Yik Yak. The student was identified by some on social media platforms as a nursing student at the university.

Why did students protest at Indiana State University?

The comments were made in response to Beyoncé's country album, "Cowboy Carter," released on March 29. The identified student took issue with a Black artist releasing a country album, saying her ancestors were "pickin' okay, they wasn't plantin'," in a reference to the Southern slave trade.

The campus protesters marched from 1-5 p.m. on the former Lincoln Quad with four main demands. These included repercussions for the student’s behavior and future incidents, a statement denouncing the video, a zero-tolerance policy regarding hate speech on campus and amendments to the university’s Code of Conduct to oppose hate speech and implement repercussions for future incidents.

How did Indiana State respond to the video?

Nadia Lomax, one of the students involved in the protest, said the goal was to make sure silence isn't an option when faced with hate speech. “We’re here to make sure something like this doesn’t get swept under the rug again. The damage that occurs because of that (the lack of university response) is that students are told silence is OK and that they don’t matter,” Lomax said to the Statesman.

ISU president Deborah Curtis issued a statement on April 10 saying, "The student's comments in the video in no way represent the ideals and goals of Indiana State University. We are appalled by the sentiments expressed in the video and condemn those comments in the strongest terms."

How can racism affect health care?

Such attitudes coming from a prospective nurse are particularly concerning to those who realize how health care professionals can impact lives and contribute to shortened lifespans.

Racism, both structural and interpersonal — is a fundamental cause of health inequities, health disparities and disease, with the impacts being severe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It’s among the contributors to disparities in maternal health between Black and white women, according to the CDC. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. 

More than 80% of those deaths are preventable, the CDC says, with the delivery of respectful, quality care a factor.

The video and protests came ahead of Black Maternal Health Week, running April 11-17 to improve conditions around pregnancy-related health.

One woman, about to get her doctorate, commented on the issue on TikTok. "Black women have been screaming about how they get treated in the health care field for generations. The fact that she's so openly and blatantly racist while also learning to practice medicine is so scary."

"Our country has one of the highest death rates for Black women, especially Black women giving birth. To see a health care professional or somebody who is striving to be a health care professional and take care of people have this attitude, I am terrified that someone like her is going to be working in the health care profession and that we're going to have to see that person treating patients," said TikTok user @erinonthecape.

IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson contributed to this story.