SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Syracuse University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) will host a virtual screening and panel discussion of “Negro: A Docu-Series About Latinx Identity” on Friday Oct. 9. The event is part of SU’s fifteenth annual Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month (LHHM) celebration.
Dash Harris, the docu-series producer, is a black Panamanian woman who grew up in New York. According to Harris, the docu-series centers black people and their lived black experiences. Harris said her own experiences inspired her to explore the intersections of being both black and Latinx.
“The idea that the only black people are African Americans, or rather black people who are from the U.S. only, which was a very bizarre experience for me specifically because my family is Central American and we’re all black,” Harris said.
Maria Rodriguez, a senior at Syracuse University, has a different experience than Harris. Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican woman and describes herself as white-passing.
“Being a student that’s Puerto Rican, but also white-passing, I recognize my privilege in the community,” Rodriguez said. “But I also recognize that there is a lot of anti-blackness in the Latino community.”
According to Rodriguez, more education is needed on campus. She said it is important for people to be aware of the multiple identities a person can have.
“So kind of just not disregarding those different identities that students hold,” Rodriguez said. “That’s something I would like to see.”
According to OMA, the theme for this year’s LHHM is All In: Affirming, Celebrating and Honoring the Afro Latinx Experience. The overarching goal of this month is to add to the conversation of anti-Black racism and the Black Lives Matter movement’s demand for racial justice, both nationwide and on campus.
The event will be held over Zoom from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Students can register for the virtual event here.
