Latino Hispanic Heritage Month ends on Oct. 15, but the Syracuse University community shouldn’t stop prioritizing minority representation within our community.

Hosted by SU’s University Offices of Multicultural Affairs, National Latino Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations have included a parade, guest speakers and art exhibits.

That’s great. That’s warranted. But it’s important we don’t stop there.

“Hispanic Heritage month focuses on the many contributions that Latinos have made to this country both historically and culturally. The celebrations give Latinos the opportunity to demonstrate their culture with music, food, and dress,” Elaine Meltzer, a Spanish professor at SU, said.

While these celebrations are a way for Latino students to celebrate their cultures, the month also highlights the continuous need for minority representation within the SU community. According to a 2017 census conducted by the Office of Institutional Research, 57 percent of students are white — students of color make up 24 percent. And within that, only 9.5 percent are Hispanic or Latino students.

 

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It’s no secret that SU is a predominately white institution, so it’s important to create spaces for people of color to feel comfortable and have their voices heard. For Latina student Tatiana Hernandez-Mitchell, a member of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, representation extends outside campus grounds and into admission rates.

“Syracuse needs to enlarge the number of people of color they accept,” Hernandez-Mitchell said. “By making these numbers larger it will strengthen the Latinx community. From then on, more of us can come together and actually feel like we can work towards diversity and inclusion of ourselves.”

Using education is another way to further the conversation about diversity.

Sylvia Montijo, President of the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, suggested a class or humanities sequence that would teach students the history of people of color in the United States.

There are separate departments such as African American or Latino-Latin American studies, but courses within these departments aren’t always mandatory. If people took the time to learn and appreciate cultures outside of their own, we’d all be better off.

“As a school we should create a class centered around counter narratives to dominant histories,” Montijo said. “Offices that support students of color, like the Office of Multicultural Affairs, must be given a bigger space and support.”

Having a sense of belonging on this campus is so important. And through classes and campus organizations SU has the chance to foster that.

Diversity needs to be understood outside of just admitting more students of color into the university. It needs to be addressed through the opportunities, voices and celebrations that allow and include students to feel equally a part of the collective student body.

Jewél Jackson is a sophomore communication and rhetorical studies major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at jjacks17@syr.edu

Published on October 9, 2018 at 9:24 pm