First off, for the individual who’s choosing to read this article…thank you.
Regardless of whether you’ll roll your eyes in disagreement, or feel an emotional connection, such as I did whilst reading the following letter, thank you. You have taken the time to educate yourself a bit more. I don’t plan on detailing the struggles Latinos face on a daily basis, as that would require us to jump back in history. No, this is to shed light on one girl’s experiences – experiences that are all too familiar to some of us.
For many freshmen entering college, there is a sense of fear and excitement – you leave your home, your close loved ones, and you are closer to entering the “adult world.” However, entering this new phase in your life is perhaps one of the most – if not the most enriching experience in your lifetime. You will meet individuals from all walks of life, mindsets, and possess different ideas from your own – all of which, if you’re open enough, will help mold you into an enlightened individual. Unfortunately, not all individuals you come across will be open to learning about how there is beauty in our differences – naturally, you will become infuriated or confused as to how tight these persons will hold onto their claims and ideas. However, these unfortunate encounters can be used as a reason to fight – fight for those who do not have a voice and fight for what is RIGHT, no matter how small your voice is – someone will hear you, my dear.
Kacey is one of those individuals who has used her ugly experiences to initiate change. As a freshman at West Virginia University, she was almost immediately exposed to poor souls who are unaware of the beauty in diversity and equality. She outlined her experiences and dreams for the future of WVU to the school’s president, Elwood Gordon Gee. However, due to lack of response, Kacey forwarded her letter to the independent media source, Latina Rebels, which unapologetically sheds light on the injustices POC (People Of Color) face on a daily basis.
Although a bit lengthy, Kacey’s letter is a cry for help that needs to be heard.
(FYI: Latinx (la-teen-x) is a gender neutral term for those of Latin American descent.)
“Dear President Gee,
I’m writing to you today to express my desire to see change here on campus.
When I first arrived in Morgantown for New Student Orientation, I visited the bookstore. As I was checking out, the cashier asked me: “What are you? What is your heritage? I’ve never seen a last name like yours before.” When I responded that my ancestry was Puerto Rican and Mexican, the cashier’s response was: “Wow, we don’t get a lot of you around here.”
In just the three short weeks that I’ve been a Mountaineer, I have witnessed your care for the student population through your active dialogue with students regarding the issues they face. I was hoping that you would extend this care to a conversation about campus inclusion for students like me.
My experiences in the past three weeks have made me question my decision to come to West Virginia University. These experiences include but are not limited to:
Having few Latinx mentors and professors, with even fewer courses that speak to my cultural experiences
Constantly being the butt of jokes about my culture, especially when the dining hall is serving tacos, the “food of my people”
Walking in the Mountainlair and becoming a mobile show-and-touch, as white students approach me with their little hands outstretched, asking to touch my Latin curls because they are “exotic”
Listening to a floor-mate refer to the area on campus where most people of color like me reside as the “ghetto”
Being talked over and laughed at when trying to talk about my experience as Latinx at WVU, while my white roommate is afforded the utmost attention and respect when speaking
Getting told that I should appreciate white people who “share my cultural experience” because they took one Spanish class in high school
Feeling threatened in the elevator by students who referred to my people as “wetbacks” before they told me to “go back to Mexico”
These instances of marginalization have fractured my Mountaineer Pride. I am unable to build bonds with fellow students and mentors who see me as too different from themselves to make connections with.
I know that I cannot be the only one affected by the lack of a cohesive Latinx culture here on campus.
The other day a floormate stopped by. We watched a telenovela together, and ten minutes into the show, he turned to me and asked how I was doing here. He expressed to me that coming from a Latino town, WVU’s campus was beyond culture shock for him. “How do you survive in a place that wasn’t meant for you?” he asked. This has also been a question heavy on my mind, a question I am hoping you can help me answer.
There are many outspoken groups around campus whose members advocate for deportation of and violence against students like me. A particular student in my roommate’s class loves to wear a shirt with the words “BUILD THE FU**ING WALL” emblazoned upon it in all caps. It’s difficult to interact with classmates who are so hostile toward my culture that, without even knowing me, want me out of their university and out of their country.
I’m not saying that these students shouldn’t be able to exercise free speech, but I believe that there needs to be a Latinx community that I can connect with to combat the very real sense of fear that these groups spark within me.
As I asked around campus, it was made clear to me that mine is an unpopular opinion. I cannot count the number of times that fellow students and WVU administration have told me that “everyone here is understanding of different perspectives.” If this is true, and I believe that it is not, then my experience on campus would be drastically different.
I am aware that there have been vibrant Latinx groups in the University’s past, but these organizations and groups are not sufficient. In a world where our identity has become a topic for debate, Latinx students need institutional support. There must be a place within this university for Latinx students, or else any attempts at diversity will fail miserably.
Change is not impossible. A fellow student told me that, “as a white person striving for social change, I believe it’s important that we stop looking out the window, and instead start looking in the mirror. We need to question the ways in which we contribute to the discomfort of WVU’s Latinx community.”
I believe that all Mountaineers should have access to the same level of institutional support and Mountaineer Spirit, and I know that I am not alone.
I have been attempting to find solutions at every possible avenue, but I have either been redirected to non-existent student organizations or told that I need to be patient. Patience is not enough to keep me at WVU. I have hope for the future, but in order to create a better tomorrow we need to be having proactive conversations and implementing inclusive policies in the present.
I am asking for your support and assistance in addressing the cultural issues on campus. As a president who actively connects with his students, I know that you have the most knowledgeable perspective on avenues for social and institutional change at this university.
I would love to open up a dialogue with you about possible solutions to the institutional and cultural challenges that this university faces. I understand that there are no easy answers, but I was hoping that this university would be willing to meet me halfway in creating a more inclusive campus. I have communicated with a range of administrative members of the university, but none of them were able to provide answers to the questions I am asking of the institution. I stopped by your office last week and was told that you don’t often have formal meetings with students, but I believe that this conversation is a necessary last step.
You clearly care for this university and its students, so please consider the possibility of having a face-to-face conversation with me. I believe that this campus can, with work, become the home I know it has the potential of being for students of color like me. I understand addressing the cultural problem at this university will not be a simple or easy process, but I am willing to put in the work necessary to foster cultural change here at WVU. Together, I know that we can create a more inclusive campus.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Latinx Student”
So, if you’ve made it this far you’re probably
- Just had your heart strings pulled at
- Ready to leave the page because this is BS
- Feeling kinda iffy – does this actually happen?…that can’t be.
- ?????
Regardless, no. This is not BS and this most certainly happens, especially here at the University of New Haven. This is a predominantly white school and the majority of the multicultural population does not feel represented. There are panel discussions on these topics, there is faculty fighting to bring classes to this campus to educate YOU, there are students who have actively participated in protests and who have been dehumanized throughout their fight for justice…you think this is just a cry for attention? You think because you haven’t seen it, heard it, or experienced hate that it does not exist. Take a look around, there are cliques – we are separated. There are people, clubs, and faculty that WANT you to educate yourselves, to acknowledge us and our struggles, ask us about our stories.
But do not remain silent. Silence does not bring justice for the dead. Silence does not acknowledge the sacrifices made by immigrants and refugees, sacrifices for a better life for their loved ones. We are left screaming and crying for help…silence is you looking at us in the face as we do so…you are doing nothing.
It is so easy to remain inside a bubble, to not see or to deny these issues. It’s so easy to say we bring these issues upon ourselves, that we’re “all the same,” that we should just comply. But we have remained compliant for too long – we have walked with our heads down for others’ comfort for too long. We don’t ever want our families, our friends, and our future babies to feel the all too present hate clouding over this country. Yes, we have seen the ignorant and hurtful comments on social media regarding the attacks on POC. Yes, we know about the stereotypes you possess. Yes, we know who you are. No matter where you turn you will hear our cries and you will see our fists raised in the air.
Throw dirt on us and watch us grow.