Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy

Diversity, leadership and dialogue

Mosaic: A combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole. A picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile or glass. Every year, the Adele H. Stamp Student Union - Center for Campus Life partners with the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy Office to host a retreat and at the university level. Just like mosaic in the art form, the MOSAIC retreat brings together diverse students to create one cohesive experience. Student leaders bring their experiences, beliefs, values and ideals to engage in a dialogue with the other participants. MOSAIC serves as a learning opportunity and provides skills for the students to take back to their organizations on campus. It is just the beginning of a dialogue that is expected to continue beyond the twoday weekend retreat. Alexander Pryor, a junior at the university, participated in the retreat his freshman year. MOSAIC was one of the major initial steps in my development as a leader on campus, Pryor says. I learned about how to engage in Students from different backgrounds dialogues and how diversity translates participate in the MOSAIC retreat to explore to more than just race. diversity. MOSAIC provides students Photo credit: MICA with a safe space to discuss difficult catered to multicultural leaders at the experiences, challenge each other to university. The MOSAIC Diversity see things from a different light, and and Leadership Retreat is a twodevelop strategies to collaborate in the day weekend retreat that explores future. This year, the MOSAIC retreat the relationship between diversity is on Feb. 23, 2014 and the cost is $25, and leadership in the community but offices and departments are willing

Nuestra Comunidad Spring 2014 Volume 1 Issue 1

to bite the cost for students who are willing to attend. The cost is paid and the location is set. Now all it takes is for you to step up to the plate and share your life experiences at the 2014 MOSAIC Diversity and Leadership Retreat.

In this issue:
Page 2 Too dark for one, too light for the other Rise Above and embrace diversity Page 3 Latino leader limelight HBO Latino Habla Women screening Minorities at the University of Maryland Page 4 Meet the Latino Student Involvement Coordinator Latino handbook

Too dark for one, too light for the other

Christina Milian, Jessy Terrero and Tatyana Ali all have one thing in common: they all identify as AfroLatino, but claim that most people do not know that they identify with both the African-American and Latino culture. Actress and singer-songwriter Christina Milian has felt the

Afro-Latinidad is becoming more common in the U.S. and at the university. Photo credit: International Society of Black Latinos

repercussions of being Latino and African-American in the entertainment industry. I ended up booking more African-American roles. I still, to this day, have trouble booking a lot of Latina roles just because, you know, Im a brown Latina. In an interview with the television cable network Mun2, Milian, along with other actors, discussed their experiences being Afro-Latino in an industry and a country that constantly emphasizes race and cultural differences. The actors also discussed the depth of Afro-Latino identity in their own families. In the Dominican culture in particular, race is not overlooked. Young women are judged based on their skin color and their hair type. Pelo bueno, or good hair, is described as long, straight and relaxed hair, while pelo malo, or bad hair, is described as natural, frizzy and unruly hair. This is an issue that is far too common for Afro-Latinos when images in the

media portray Latinos as fairskinned with long, straight hair. Many official forms, including the U.S. Census Bureau, request race and ethnicity as two separate identities. The lines become blurred here because of people like Milian who identifies as both. I should be able to say Im equally African-American and Latino, but unfortunately, society prefers to make us check off certain boxes and limits us, Stephanie Green, junior at the university, said. Some of them even make you check one or the other, but Im going to continue identifying by both of my cultures. With Black History Month quickly approaching, students on campus like Green and student organizations alike are planning events to inform the campus of the Afro-Latino experience. Green says that she hopes students will attend Black History Month events to help understand the culture more and hopefully break any stereotypes that are perpetuated.

Rise Above and embrace diversity

Embrace unity. Embrace diversity. Embrace respect. The Rise Above campaign at the university aims to achieve all of these goals with diverse programming throughout the year. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion created the Rise Above campaign to address issues of bias, diversity, identity, culture and difference. This grant gives community members the opportunity to discuss issues that would otherwise be opportunities for experiential neglected in society and specifically learning about identity and at the university. difference. The ODI is interested in Student organizations, campus projects that departments directly engage and campus groups around offices can apply diversity topics for funding for in new and events through Rise Above grants will be available through innovative the Rise Above Spring 2014. ways, represent Photo credit: Office of Diversity and Inclusion campaign grant collaborations online at about different groups, and provide http://bit.ly/1ibNtQo.

Latino leader limelight

From volunteering for Gov. Martin OMalleys reelection campaign to starting a new organization on campus, Jennifer Avelar keeps a busy schedule. Avelar is a senior at the university majoring in Government and Politics with a certificate in Womens Studies. Along with being a student leader, interning and working, Avelar somehow still finds time to volunteer in the community. Last year, Avelar and another student created a new organization on campus called P.L.U.M.A.S., which means pens in Spanish. This

organization is centered on social issues and is a hub for students to get involved on campus. With more than 500 student organizations, it can be overwhelming finding organizations that best suit students interests. Im still not sure exactly what I want to do in life yet, just like any college student, but I do know that I want to give back and make a difference in the community, Avelar says. I think its important to be a champion for those whose voices may otherwise go unheard in the leadership and decision-making process.

Avelars short-term goal is to graduate while staying involved as an alumnus. In the future, Avelar knows she wants to give back to the Latino community in Prince Georges County through an elected or appointed position focusing on social work, advocacy, general education or politics. As her mother always says, If youre not going to do something with all of your heart then dont do it all. Avelar lives her life knowing that you have to have passion; otherwise, you will never go the extra mile.

HBO Latino Habla Women screening

March marks a time to celebrate the achievements of women in the past and contemporary society. The HBO Latino Habla Women special not only marks the achievements of Latinas pursuing various career paths, but also highlights the adversities and common misperceptions faced by women today. The MICA Office is bringing this special to campus to entertain and enlighten the campus community. MICA is also partnering with the LGBT Equity Center to address the intersection and dynamic of the LGBT and Latino community. Here are the event details: March 6, 2014 7-9 p.m. Hoff Theater, Stamp Student Union Hors doeuvres will be served The screening will be followed by a panel featuring three of the Latinos featured in the film.

Minorities at the University of Maryland

African-American U.S. students

37.8%

Other/Multiracial U.S. students

12.1%
Asian-American U.S. students

3.3%
Native American U.S. students Hispanic-American U.S. students

14.8%

0.1%

7.5%
Minority students make up 37.8 percent of the total undergraduate population at the university. With roots as deep as the cultures represented by minorities, here is a closer glimpse of the diverse groups at the university. Source: University of Maryland Office of Diversity and Inclusion Credit: Odalis Lopez

Meet the Latino Student Involvement Coordinator

Yvette Lerma recently joined the MICA Office as the Latino Student Involvement and Advocacy Coordinator. Lerma just completed her masters degree in Higher Education with a concentration in College Student Development at the University of Denver. While there, she worked for the Center for Multicultural Excellence. She received her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University where she was highly involved with the LGBTA Student Resource Center. As the Latino Student Involvement and Advocacy Coordinator, Lerma supports students and their organizations with resources, advice and financial assistance for events that support the mission of the MICA Office. Her experience working for the Center for Multicultural Excellence provides her with a solid background in resources on campus for students. To set up an appointment with Lerma, email her at ylerma@umd.edu or visit MICA in 1120 Stamp Student Union from 9 a.m. 5 p.m.

Lermas office is located in the Stamp. Photo credit: Center for Multicultural Excellence at the University of Denver

Latino handbook

For a home away from home and support from other students, Latino student organizations are the places to go to become involved. From groups that plan campus wide events and advocate for community wide issues, to Greek organizations, chances are students will find something of interest in one of these organizations. The Latino Handbook provides general descriptions and contact information for the various Latino organizations on campus. Students can participate in as many organizations as desired with fellow Latino students. The handbook is an easy way to visualize the long list of organizations available. Visit the MICA website and click on the Latino Student Involvement The Latino Student Union is one of the largest Latino Area tab to access the Latino student organizations on campus. Handbook. Photo credit: Latino Student Union

We in the MICA Office stand firmly in our role to empower students through education on issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion and their intersections.

Contact us!

To keep up with whats happening in the MICA Office or to get more information about how to get involved, get in touch with MICA via: UMD MICA @UMDMICA

1120 Stamp Student Union University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Phone: 301-314-8600 Fax: 301-314-2672

Email: MICA-contact@umd.edu