Ed Jr. M. Arimboanga, a senior at SFSU, hopes to apply to graduate school and become a middle school or high school history teacher. The Asian American studies major, whose minor concentration is in history, says the College of Ethnic Studies has provided a secure avenue for people of color to achieve their goals.
“It has opened doors to a lot of us, even if it is in the areas of academics, arts and sports,” says Arimboanga, who is of Filipino descent. “I think those people in that generation really opened a lot of doors for us … . People of color began to define their own history, write their own history, tell their own history.”
But as Arimboanga also attests, this time of celebration is “bittersweet.” While there has been progress in underrepresented communities, he says, minority struggles seem to have become more complex.
“Issues ranging from inequitable tracking in public schools to pipelining youth straight into prison are just a couple of examples of how the movement has become more complex rather than progressive,” he notes. As the students of SFSU move forward in their higher education, despite issues of race and class, they will earn their degrees and enter their professional or academic careers. And one thing is certain.
“You can’t be a student at SF State without realizing the ultimate impact of the change that occurred,” says Corrigan, “even though it was years before you were born.”
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