Org. Report Mezcla de Wellesley by Nancy Gonzalez, Mezcla de Wellesley

Org. Report Mezcla de Wellesley by Nancy Gonzalez, Mezcla de Wellesley

Pressing On

Two years ago, Mezcla de Wellesley began a campaign to get a permanent space for our organization in order for fellowship, events, and regular meetings to take place. Unfortunately our mission was unsuccessful. Wellesley argued that they were not going to construct any new buildings and were not going to make space for any more groups because that would only separate the students. Another reason Wellesley gave was that the new building constructed on campus, the Lulu Wang Campus Center, was purposely built to encourage multiculturalism and for everyone on campus to have a place to meet.

Mezcla did have a permanent space at one point. In 1973 Mezcla requested a meeting space and in 1975, Gray House, was given. The students shared the house with the Roman Catholic and Jewish groups on campus. After the Roman Catholic group changed location, the space was shared with an Asian group. Based on the archives, Mezcla remained in the house until 1982. Regrettably there is no information on why the space was lost.

The women from Mezcla, back in 1973, felt alienated from the predominantly white student and faculty population. They needed space where their community could feel comfortable to congregate. The importance and necessity of this community is visible by their persistence. In the 1970s, conflicts and financial difficulties arose; however, these women pressed on. They would continue to host dinners and events, which were always supported by the attendance of many.

If Wellesley College in the 1970s was not ready to address diversity and create a community where everyone felt comfortable, I believe it is time. Although I give credit to Wellesley for being proactive about bridging gaps and trying to build a stronger community, there remains more work to be done. In a perfect world people from various backgrounds and communities should be able to get along without ignoring each other’s differences. Lamentably we live in a far-from-perfect world and each community needs to strengthen itself to give back to others. It’s granted that a community does not necessarily need a permanent space to be created, but the space is necessary to sustain and strengthen it.

Although we were not able to get our own space, we continue to work hard at maintaining a sense of community for our members and we are advocating for a multicultural center. Space is needed where issues of race, sexuality, class, and culture can be freely discussed and where minorities can be easily heard. We have high hopes that in the future there will be a Latina center or a multicultural center that will foster a better sense of community than what presently exists for the people of color and minorities on Wellesley's campus.