Storytime: A Tale About Day of The Dead

Story Time: years ago, I had just begun a new job with a fancy title at a university for graduate students. It was such an exciting time for me, professionally. I wanted to be involved in everything to establish not only relationships but new programs for the graduate side that were nonexistent at the time, and only done at the undergraduate level. Only a month into my new position, I was of course asked to be involved with DEI work as well as a committee for a Day of The Dead campus event. I found out what the undergraduate program was doing for Day of The Dead and was mortified. Part of their "celebration" was to bring a coffin on campus for students to crawl in and out of. Apparently, it had been done in the past. The staff and faculty on the planning committee assured me that it was "tasteful" and "artfully" done with respect. But I had a problem with it. I felt there were other ways to respond to the sacred and time-honored tradition than to have students crawling in and out of a coffin. When I learned the committee had every intention of doing it again that year, I asked a few of my friends and family if I was overreacting, thinking that perhaps my views could possibly be outdated. They agreed with me, saying it was unacceptable and inappropriate. 

However, my opinions were quickly dismissed and being I was only a month into my new job, I simply removed myself from the committee. I was upset. I felt I didn't have a voice for my own culture, my identity, my people, and our Latino students. But I had to let it go, decided to choose my battles wisely, and proceeded to do some amazing things after that. Looking back, I am proud of what I was able to accomplish while I was there. Fast forward a couple of years on the job when I decided to be on a DEI book club team for faculty and staff. After establishing what I thought was in confidence that those participating in the book club would honor and respect what was shared to only its book club participants, I thought everyone would too. 

I shared my experiences with the book club about what happened when I first started my job and how unsafe our students may feel, being that as an employee, I was dismissed for saying it was inappropriate to have a coffin for students to crawl in as part of how we educate about Day of The Dead. Not only did a couple of staff members break the established honor code and start a chain reaction, but the university president broke the honor code as well. 

How would you feel if your identity, the very essence of who you are, was shit on?

The point is that in order to say that you are an ally, in order to say that you are culturally sensitive, in order to say that you care about the safety of our students, your actions need to align with your words. 

Day of The Dead means so much to me. And I'm now sharing my experiences in higher Ed to make sure that our next generation isn't afraid of rocking the boat, isn't afraid of demanding change. 

I actually thought that holding my position was making a difference. But it didn't change the policy. It didn't change the racist people. It didn't change the climate. If you're supporting racist elitism, you are part of the problem. 

I have a ton of stories. This is just one. I'm here to say that I feel it's my duty to finally share them all to shed light on the unspoken elitism that exists and to tell our future BIPOC leaders not to give up. We MUST work to support each other when absolutely no one is there to support the emotional toll and psychological consequences of the harm that results from ignorance, fragility, and privilege.