Black History Month is here and while most pay recognition to history’s well-known activists, not enough recognition is given to the diversity of Cal Poly’s past and present.
It is no secret that diversity is one of our biggest struggles. According to MultiCultural Center Assistant Coordinator Que Dang and Kennedy Library Curator Catherine Trujillo, there are currently 130-220 African American students on campus. That is less than one percent of the student body population. Surprised?
Because they are so scarce, Dang strives to promote unity and representation by providing students of different ethnicities with a home-away-from-home and a comfortable place to share thoughts, opinions and concerns.
Her efforts consist of only one step in the process of trying to improve diversity on campus.
“Students can make change,” Dang said. “Helping them find their voice is an important role of culture and race.”
As a half African American and half Caucasian student at Cal Poly, I understand the struggles and culture shock others may face. Growing up, I did have my own struggles in finding my identity between two different ethnicities and using my voice to speak up against biased opinions.
So where do we start in terms of becoming more culturally aware of the diversity on campus, or lack thereof? You may be surprised to hear that Cal Poly had its own civil rights movement. From 1967 to 1975, black student activists founded the first Black Student Union and recruited African American faculty members. During this time, they also established the first ethnic studies course. Images of the original pages from the newspaper that covered these civil rights achievements are presented in the exhibit “Strive and Struggle” in the University Union.
Catherine Trujillo, curator of the exhibit, originally created it with two other Cal Poly graduates in 2007 to empower students.
“The heart of efforts should come from the students and demonstrating the power of student voice,” she said.
“Strive and Struggle” is a great way to honor the legacy of students who fought for diversity and also continue to inspire current students to get more involved with the MultiCultural Center and other cultural groups on campus.
Dang added that in order to create a more diverse campus, it has to start with recognizing the issue does not only belong to the MultiCultural Center, but with faculty members and students, as well.
“Students were very active [back then] — how can we inspire students today to bring back that voice?” Dang said.
Diversity is not just about skin color. It’s about how we establish personal awareness of different cultures and celebrating the true beauty of living in a world filled with so much variety.