Housed as one department, Black and Hispanic studies at Baruch College do more than just co-exist.

Dina M. Horwedel

New York
Black and Hispanic studies are separate fields at most universities. But at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York system, the Black and Hispanic studies minors are housed under the same roof. The somewhat unique partnership seems to be working, as the minors are among the most popular on the business-oriented campus.

Dr. Héctor Cordero-Guzmán, chair and associate professor of the Black and Hispanic studies department, says the mission of the program is to chronicle and participate in the creation of an increasingly diverse America.

The 2000 U.S. Census was the first to allow respondents to list multiple races, permitting a more accurate picture of the population. The census found that Hispanics accounted for 12.5 percent of the population, up from 8.8 percent in 1990, making them the nation’s largest minority group. Forty-eight percent of Hispanics identified themselves as White. More than 42 percent of Hispanics self-identified as “some other race” and about 2 percent as “Black.” More recent studies by the Pew Hispanic Center, among others, have placed the current percentage of Hispanics at closer to 14 percent.

Dr. Arthur Lewin, who teaches African history, Black Americans and mass media at Baruch, says census figures are a red herring.

“I think the idea of anyone being a No. 1 minority is an oxymoron,” he says. “This is a multicultural society. Everyone can identify who they want to be and we should respect that.”

Lewin adds that on the world, national and educational stages, people should never see themselves competing on the basis of race or ethnicity, or perceive one group as getting ahead at the expense of another. “I think it’s important that in America we are beginning to reflect the world. This country was built on forced labor and immigration, but now it is more reflective of the world, because it is the world’s capital.”