It was supposed to be an expression of solidarity. And it was — for some.

As protests over the fatal police shootings of black men raged in Charlotte and elsewhere last week, students at the University of Vermont hoisted a Black Lives Matter flag at the center of campus, right next to, and at the same height, as the state flag and the American flag. The university and the Student Government Association sanctioned the display, saying it was designed to show support for those “struggling with the violence and search for justice in this country.”

Sophomore Akilah Ho-Young could hardly contain her excitement.

“I wanted to cry when I saw this,” Ho-Young said in a Sept. 22 Facebook post that included a picture of the Black Lives Matter flag flying outside the student center, alongside the American and state flags.

“My body filled with lots of joy to know that my predominantly white university is paying tribute to the deaths in the black community,” she said. “It’s the littlest thing that just means so much to me!”

The post went viral. The popular social justice writer Shaun King shared it, along with more than 14,000 others. Comments and tweets poured in from supporters who called it a brave display.