‘Diversity is CSUB’s superpower’

First Ethnic Studies Symposium features guest speakers, student art exhibit

By California State University, Bakersfield

March 22^nd, 2024

The diverse population of students, faculty and staff on campus were recognized and celebrated on Tuesday as part of California State University, Bakersfield’s first Ethnic Studies Symposium.

The event, titled “Ollin: The HeART & Movement for Ethnic Studies,” featured a student art exhibit, faculty presentations as well as guest speakers including Belen Carrasco with Kern County Educators for Ethnic Studies, National Chavez Center Executive Director Andres Chavez and Connie Perez-Andreesen, chief administrative officer and national vice president for the United Farm Workers.

“This important symposium comes at a moment of incredible significance at CSUB and our journey to affirm that this institution amplifies all voices and embraces all students,” said Interim President Vernon B. Harper Jr. “For too long, colleges, universities and K-12 schools focused almost entirely on the history, culture and contributions of a narrow segment of our society. It is our Roadrunners who demonstrate to the entire community every day that diversity is CSUB’s superpower.”

The symposium is one of the first big events run by the new Ethnic Studies Department, which was established in 2022. Dr. Harper noted that the work toward establishing this department had started seven years ago during the leadership of former President Horace Mitchell.

Mitchell was involved in the hiring of the university’s first ethnic studies faculty members, including Dr. Tracey Salisbury, who now chairs the department. It now has four tenure-track faculty and three lecturers.

“It was not easy to get to this point today,” Dr. Harper said. “There are individuals still in this community who believe this department shouldn’t exist. We continually struggle for the rights of people of color, everyone that’s faced discrimination and adversity and systemic racism.”

Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. James Rodriguez said the Ethnic Studies Symposium serves as a great way not only for people to remember the experiences of their ancestors but to honor them as well.

“One of the ways we honor them is that we are present in this moment and that we do not just remember the past, but we use the past as a way to move forward together,” he said. “Our futures as communities and as a university are intertwined.”

Liberal studies majors Alehandro Reyes and Esmeralda Morales collaborated on a painting — which is titled “No Somos Los Mismos,” or “we are not the same” — highlighting the unique cultures of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

CSUB alumnus Jose Botello's painting of depicts a real stone artifact found in Mexico depicting Xochipilli, also known as “The Prince of Flowers.”

A 'unique' display

Faculty in the Ethnic Studies Department began discussing possibilities for its first big event soon after the department was created and agreed last year on the idea of doing a symposium. Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies Dr. Nora Cisneros spearheaded the event.

“We knew we wanted to showcase and introduce ourselves to the university as a department, but we wanted to ensure that we centered students, who are essential to ethnic studies,” she said. “We want to do right by the students, do right by the community.”

That led to the idea of an exhibit in which students would have the opportunity to work on and present a piece of art reflecting the ideas and themes of ethnic studies.

“Students were very excited about putting together artwork that speaks to their acknowledgement and enthusiasm for ethnic studies. That’s what makes the symposium unique in a way,” Dr. Cisneros said.

Liberal studies majors Alehandro Reyes and Esmeralda Morales collaborated on a painting —titled “No Somos Los Mismos,” or “we are not the same” — highlighting the unique cultures of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The pair hope that it helps show that there are many diverse groups and cultures that make up the Hispanic population.

“People use terms like Hispanic or Latino and generalize so many different cultures and people, and people are done with being generalized,” Reyes said. “They want to be recognized as their own person from their own country. My father wants to be known as Honduran. It’s important for people to respect what the preferences are.”

Reyes and Morales decided to participate in the exhibit because they liked the idea of creating a serious artwork that reflects the complexity of the world we live in.

“This was my first statement piece, so it’s really cool to have that out there,” Morales said. “I think it’s really great to have this opportunity to share. We’re getting the message out there, and that’s ultimately what you want.”

Reyes was ambivalent at first about doing the project, as he doesn’t have a lot of art experience, but ultimately decided to give it a shot.

“I’m not really an artist, so this was a challenge,” he said. “[Esmeralda’s] done art before, but for me, it was my first experience. It was a little weird, but it feels good to see it up there. We are proud of it.”

'Setting the tone'

The exhibit also featured the work of CSUB alumnus Jose Botello, who graduated in 2021 with his bachelor’s degree in anthropology. Being a descendant of the Nahua peoples of central Mexico, he wanted to create a piece that reflected that.

Botello’s artwork depicts a real stone artifact that was found at the Popocatepetl volcano in Tlalmanalco, Mexico, that portrays Xochipilli, also known as the “Prince of Flowers.” He is the god of art, song, dance and plants.

“It’s a representation of our cosmology. It’s part of my culture,” he said.

Botello had a great experience creating the painting, although he acknowledged it was challenging at first making sure he got the dimensions and perspective as accurate as possible.

“It was amazing. There was a lot of knowledge being gained from that,” he said. “In our culture, when we work with our hands and create something, we believe our ancestors are guiding us. We do it as a way to communicate with our ancestors, to get in touch with them.”

Botello is grateful that he was given an opportunity to participate in the exhibit and believes the Ethnic Studies Symposium is a great addition to the university.

“It’s a beautiful way to get different cultures together and bring light to the social issues that we as people of color experience on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Dr. Salisbury and Dr. Cisneros believe the symposium served as a great way to introduce the Ethnic Studies Department to the university. They hope it will lead to more students becoming interested in registering for an ethnic studies course.

“It’s a real big deal for us,” Dr. Salisbury said. “It’s setting a tone for the department and for our students. We are introducing students to what ethnic studies actually is as a discipline, and we’re also trying to show the importance of ethnic studies to all of academia.”