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[merce]

Also, back to the original question, with an added question - at my U, we have a few minority faculty - Asian and Latina.  We have no African-American or African faculty, but we have quite a few African and African-American students.  I would appreciate an answer from one of the posters (I think perhaps Merce? I couldn't find it) who had commented on the discomfort of being the only minority at conferences, etc, to the question:  would you have felt more comfortable if there were other minorities, even if a different minority group from you? 
I hope the above is clear enough.

Yes, I guess I just get bored easily so the more layers of analysis possible the funner for me. I am one of 2 latinas on my campus and there is only one asian girl on campus and the asian gal and I do see a LOT of things eye to eye as regards how to talk to others and how to talk about "othering" etc. I think of it almost as agenerational thing. I felt she and I had the same discourse because of our being young on this campus and perhaps because we both studied in the same Northern state. However, the anecdote I think I posted last night about being called WonderWhiteBread and not being allowed to correct my own identity was made by someone in my age group. So, perhaps hanging w/ minorities or non WhiteBread people regardless of whether latin or not is funner or more comfortable to me.

I grew up in a place with few latins (back then anyway) and when I went to grad school Hispanic male students opened up to me about their difficulties in succeeding. It was because I was brown, but not, I think, because they wanted to hear La Raza blah blah. I don't go there either- or at least not while discussing how to come up with a thesis statement. I was dumbfounded that they didn't feel comfortable going to others and was happy I happened to be around for them.

My current U is full of black kids and there are 2 black faculty members. I think they do appreciate me as a non-whitebread type. I think they also are enjoying learning that there are others out there who also are not white but are different from them. I.e., there are more than 2 options, there are Diverse possibilities.

and I go to Bilbo's on Wed. of our congress every year. ANd I'd love to have non-whitebread ppl to chat with there though it's fun regardless.

[au_fait]

Very few white folks know what it is like to be "othered." Because of my colorful background (intentional play on words, but take both meanings), I've experienced being the other. I've experienced racism and have helped others overcome their racism of whites. It's been real, not always real fun, but real.
I understand how challenging it is to be the only *insert race* face in the room. I found the experience to be enlightening. Most of the time it was fine, sometimes it wasn't. Why? Because people are people. We are naturally drawn to those like us (by area of interest, job type, marrital status, parental status, age, dress, hobby, religion, race, etc.). That doesn't mean we're only drawn to those who look like us. However, overcoming the security of the "known" experiences by diversifying those we interact with, we gain all sorts of knowledge.

How do we attract minority faculty to "wonderbread university"? By making the offer attractive--not just economically, but by being the department/faculty that would attract ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL. And by being sensitive to housing/shopping/religious/social/cultural/etc. needs.
Oh wait, we should do that for all applicants, b/c we shouldn't assume that b/c someone is a minority, hu is unlike us in every/many ways.

[abdbiz]

yeah my mother married the wrong kinda name. It is sooooo ugly. I can't wait to marry just to have something better.
Of course, this means I'm pigeon-holed mistakenly and accidentally hear all kinds of things about "those" people, minorities, brown people, etc.
Even when people KNOW I"m Colombian they somehow don't put 2 and 2 together. Argh.


And I'm the only Latina I know of who attends my nat'l conference of 3k people. Anyone else out there please let's get together @ Bilbo's!

What exactly do you mean "I'm the only Latina." Were you born in Colombia? Are you mixed race? or was your mother of Spanish descent? Because if you are white in appearance, Im sure there were many Latin (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) people at your conference.

[merce]

yeah my mother married the wrong kinda name. It is sooooo ugly. I can't wait to marry just to have something better.
Of course, this means I'm pigeon-holed mistakenly and accidentally hear all kinds of things about "those" people, minorities, brown people, etc.
Even when people KNOW I"m Colombian they somehow don't put 2 and 2 together. Argh.


And I'm the only Latina I know of who attends my nat'l conference of 3k people. Anyone else out there please let's get together @ Bilbo's!

What exactly do you mean "I'm the only Latina." Were you born in Colombia? Are you mixed race? or was your mother of Spanish descent? Because if you are white in appearance, Im sure there were many Latin (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) people at your conference.

Huh?
Me confuzed.

I use "latin" when talking about Latin people like you do apparently, and Latin-a when talking about being brown, red lips, big hips, hoop earrings me. I often say Hispanic too but for different contexts.
Is it the fight between hispanic-latino that you are asking or are you asking about something else.

[abdbiz]

yeah my mother married the wrong kinda name. It is sooooo ugly. I can't wait to marry just to have something better.
Of course, this means I'm pigeon-holed mistakenly and accidentally hear all kinds of things about "those" people, minorities, brown people, etc.
Even when people KNOW I"m Colombian they somehow don't put 2 and 2 together. Argh.


And I'm the only Latina I know of who attends my nat'l conference of 3k people. Anyone else out there please let's get together @ Bilbo's!

What exactly do you mean "I'm the only Latina." Were you born in Colombia? Are you mixed race? or was your mother of Spanish descent? Because if you are white in appearance, Im sure there were many Latin (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) people at your conference.

Huh?
Me confuzed.

I use "latin" when talking about Latin people like you do apparently, and Latin-a when talking about being brown, red lips, big hips, hoop earrings me. I often say Hispanic too but for different contexts.
Is it the fight between hispanic-latino that you are asking or are you asking about something else.

Im generally getting at that I no longer know what hispanic and latin mean. I know what the census says,  but in terms of diversity, I think the census is way out of line.


I get why American Blacks, women, and Native Americans receive AA, or at least I get why it happened. I dont get why white kids who speak spanish get AA. I actually have no idea why any minority group besides American Blacks, women, and Native Americans get AA.

[merce]

Im generally getting at that I no longer know what hispanic and latin mean. I know what the census says,  but in terms of diversity, I think the census is way out of line.


I get why American Blacks, women, and Native Americans receive AA, or at least I get why it happened. I dont get why white kids who speak spanish get AA. I actually have no idea why any minority group besides American Blacks, women, and Native Americans get AA.

1. Hispanic vs. Latino (not latin) is a HUGE debated issue right now. It's a mess. or complicated. v. political.

2. What is the difference between Black and hispanic? or I guess. is it not the case that the analogy works like so: whitebread is to black as whitebread is to hispanic?

3.I am not sure what any of this [AA or Latino vs. HIspano]  has to do with my field's national congress or the fact that I haven't seen any other Latinas there.

[prytania3]

yeah my mother married the wrong kinda name. It is sooooo ugly. I can't wait to marry just to have something better.
Of course, this means I'm pigeon-holed mistakenly and accidentally hear all kinds of things about "those" people, minorities, brown people, etc.
Even when people KNOW I"m Colombian they somehow don't put 2 and 2 together. Argh.


And I'm the only Latina I know of who attends my nat'l conference of 3k people. Anyone else out there please let's get together @ Bilbo's!

What exactly do you mean "I'm the only Latina." Were you born in Colombia? Are you mixed race? or was your mother of Spanish descent? Because if you are white in appearance, Im sure there were many Latin (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) people at your conference.

Huh?
Me confuzed.

I use "latin" when talking about Latin people like you do apparently, and Latin-a when talking about being brown, red lips, big hips, hoop earrings me. I often say Hispanic too but for different contexts.
Is it the fight between hispanic-latino that you are asking or are you asking about something else.

Im generally getting at that I no longer know what hispanic and latin mean. I know what the census says,  but in terms of diversity, I think the census is way out of line.


I get why American Blacks, women, and Native Americans receive AA, or at least I get why it happened. I dont get why white kids who speak spanish get AA. I actually have no idea why any minority group besides American Blacks, women, and Native Americans get AA.

Basically, AA became a protector of Latinos by way of Puerto Rico and their status as a commonwealth, their right to speak Spanish, and the redressment of any wrongs against them. With this, Mexicans came into play because we had a few beefs of our own. And then the Hispanic Tent was created (see Richard Rodriguez's essay on Nixon in his book Brown.)

The ethnic/racial groups that exist were created by Richard Nixon. Affirmative Action as we know it today came into place under the Nixon administration.