My interest in understanding why Latino History was missing from my education is due to John Leguizamo’s performance in “Latino History for Morons”.
In returning early to St. Lawrence University for Indoor Track, I tried to find a Latino history book at our bookstore. After searching Latino or Hispanic on the Brewer bookstore search engine, I was discouraged by the, “Please use a textbook lookup” notification. Despite the limited success online, I made several trips to the bookstore, and only saw two books related to Latino history under the current affairs section (“Vanishing Frontiers” by: Andrew D. Selee and “Our 50 State Border Crises” by: Howard Graham Buffett). Not a single Latino history book could be found in the History section.
As a graduating first generation Latino college student, I understand the significance of finding a role model through historical leaders. Reading about leaders who succeed through hardships, some can envision themselves also achieving success. However, if a majority of the books available for sale are predominately white males, we are implicitly reinforcing the idea that other ethnic groups and minorities were never a part of history. Our unawareness of this problem in the Brewer Bookstore further reinforces the need for us to consider the unconscious censorship towards this history.
A potential counter-argument is how ODY offers a diverse collection of Latino history books. While it is reassuring to know some of these books exist on campus, none of them can be purchased. The Brewer Bookstore provides space for high school, international and transfer students to imagine possibilities of becoming a Laurentian for life. Purchasing clothing or gifts can help one transition into the new environment, but additional books that represent their heritage can also help embrace them into the community.
The discourse towards Latinos and immigration in the news further provides incentive for St. Lawrence University to provide additional Latino books. News stories concentrate on the mass deportations, ICE raids, military units deployed to the border and the ongoing conflict over funding the wall. In creating this chaotic perception towards Latinos, we are failing to understand how history has developed to this current state. Our bookstore can be a stepping stone towards truly understanding our Latino community members.
Expanding our understanding of Latino immigration can motivate students to volunteer with migrant farmers and further find a long-term solution. Diversity initiatives and grants will hopefully continue to make efforts towards inclusion for the various ethnicities, sexual orientations and creeds on campus. Fortunately, St. Lawrence’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (H.E.O.P) has motivated many first generation college students to attend our demographically homogenous community. We must continue the progression towards diversity in thought and offer books to reflect the heritage of all Laurentian students.