In the aftermath of protests and racial tensions across America, students at Citrus College are feeling unsupported and unrepresented. “A Discussion: Being Black in Higher Education” was hosted at Citrus College virtually on Feb. 23.
Adjunct Counselor and Black Student Union Club Advisor La Quirshia Fennell led the event. Questions on how 2020 impacted academics and students were discussed.
“It made me want to work harder and educate others,” Architect student and BSU club member Byron Roberts said when talking about George Floyd’s death.
Last year, a protest took place on the corner of Grand Avenue and Foothill Boulevard in Glendora.
Black people are being murdered and imprisoned disproportionately, and Black people are not being given the same opportunities as others. With a protest of this sort being held so close to a college campus, students and faculty members were greatly affected. One side of the street contained people protesting for Black lives. On the other side of the street were people diminishing the Black Lives Matter movement, countering that all lives matter.
“So much impacted me as a black woman,” Fennell said. “What if students don’t want help because of my skin color?” She then asked what BSU student experiences were like at Citrus.
“Nobody supports Blacks on campus,” student Sonia Ortiz said.
Former student Martel Jones said, “There is not a strong presence on campus of Black people.”
Most students commented on how being Black means things are that much more difficult for them at school. Ortiz said, “Being alive in the midst of everything that Black people have to deal with mentally… we’re resilient, overcoming.”
Fennell asked what a sense of community at Citrus would look like to BSU students. The response she got was “support.”
“African-American students are usually the only ones in their classes, and they feel they must work that much harder,” student Britney Harris said.
Representation was talked about, and students all said the same thing: Citrus needs to include more Black students when posting photos about students transferring or graduating. Citrus’ home page shows a photo of 6 students in their cap and gown, and not one of them is Black.
Citrus needs to do a better job to represent its Black students, to better inform of resources available and to recommend Historically Black Colleges and Universities when talking about transferring. Black students need more support.
“There are 107 HBCUs,” Vice President of Student Services Richard Rams said. As the new VP of Student Services, he wants Citrus’ faculty and staff to have certified training and create a sense of belonging for Black students.
“Black students just want to feel like they are supported, represented and cared for,” Ortiz said.
The Black Student Union club will be hosting another virtual event titled “Black Student Ally Training” at 1 p.m. March 3.
