Minoritario No Significa Menos Importante (Minority Doesnt Mean Less Important) It can be easy to place judgment on others because

you simply dont understand them. It is also not hard to unintentionally ignore those around you that dont look like you when you are a part of the majority population. Li ing as a minority certainly presents a challenge that those of the majority may ne er face. Its not to say that those of the majority population are bad! its just typical of people to tend to focus primarily on themsel es and the similar people they surround themsel es with! instead of embracing those that are different. "all #tate is known for its di erse campus! but some of its minority groups consist of an e$tremely mediocre population compared to the rest of "all #tates population. %his may be why minority students like &unior '( major )ane #an Miguel (who grew up in Me$ican household) feels the added pressure to make that e$tra effort to create a oice for his underrepresented Latino community. *ccording to the +,,, census! the -ispanic population in Muncie was ../0 (12. out of 32!/4, total people). %oday! according to the +,., census! they make up +.40 of the Muncie population (.!516 out of 2,!,62). %his meaning theres an e en lesser number attending "all #tate. 7ith such a small number of people are their wants and needs e en heard8 %he saying 9take a walk in someone elses shoes: has powerful meaning behind it. If people really took the time to do that theyd be surprised at how big of an effect getting to know other people unlike themsel es can ha e on a their life. %he opportunity to spend time with #an Miguel was a pri ilege. Learning about his daily lifestyle and struggles as a minority is humbling. During the time #an Miguel resides here in Muncie he deals with e eryday struggles! big

and small! that constantly remind him he is a part of an underrepresented community. 7hile inter iewing and getting to know #an Miguel he pointed out a small yet significant e$ample of how his community is underrepresented in important e eryday life situations while we. ;or e$ample< 7almarts lack of -ispanic foods. 9"ack home I can go isit the supermercado to get all the traditional Me$ican foods I need!: #an Miguel said. 9"ut here in Muncie theres not as much fle$ibility. I cant make tamales shopping at 7almart because they dont ha e masa! cornhusks! corn tortillas or sofrito. -ere I only ha e a handful of shel es full of bo$ed and packaged ersions of =traditional Me$ican foods. It can be frustrating at times. "ut thats definitely just one area that I feel is not met! or just not considered in the Muncie area< the lack of di ersity when there is a college here. I would think that di ersity would be something they would consider in all areas of this city.: >ne potential reason for the -ispanic population being underrepresented is because of their lack of numbers. %hey are one of the smallest minority groups in Muncie! and this alone is likely a big reason for their small oice. %he "all #tate -ispanic community lacks in numbers as well. *ccording to the "all #tate ?ni ersity ;act "ook! there are a total of +.!,54 students at "all #tate @ 535 (or +.20) of which identify as -ispanic. %he Latino population at "all #tate has stri ed to make a oice for themsel es since .162! when the Aorth *merican -ispanic *ssociation was created (now known as the Latino #tudent ?nion). *nother probable reason is po erty. *ccording the +,., census! +4.+0 of the -ispanic population is in po erty. *pplying that statistic would mean that about 42. -ispanics in Muncie li e in po erty. #an Miguel is ery familiar with the li ing paycheckBtoBpaycheck lifestyle. -e shared stories about his familys dayBtoBday financial struggles from his childhood to present

day. 9I ha e gone a few times in my life without electricity in the house!: #an Miguel said. 9My mom couldnt afford to pay the light bill sometimes. 7e just brought out the candles until she could afford to cut the electricity on again.: #an Miguel feels that the language barrier and lack of education makes it hard to progress and communicate with other communities. %his is making it harder for the Latino community to ha e their needs e en recogniCed locally and in society. #an Miguel decided at a young age not to let these barriers and circumstance hold him back. -e feels that by being a minority in general he must work harder to make a name for himself. -e is confident that he will be his familys way out of po erty. -e is! and continues to be! in ol ed in many e$tra curricular acti ities to broaden his horiCons while also representing and creating a oice for the -ispanic community. #an Miguel e$plained the role he plays within his community. 9I ha e made a significant effort since my freshman year to be in ol ed on this campus!: #an Miguel said. 9"ecause of that people now know or at least recogniCe me in not only the minority community but the majority as well. My last name is #an Miguel! with a last name like that I am going to be associated with the Latino community. I do my best to be a positi e role model because I know I represent more than just myself at the end of the day. %he Latino community here is indeed small! but it only takes one person to make a difference. I always try to remember that.: D ery community has their struggles. If ones community is of the majority their troubles and needs are more easily heard and attended to than those of a minority community. %he greater the oice the easier it is to be heard. "ut it doesnt mean the smaller oices are any less

important. It may be harder for the Latino community to be heard! but they are speaking. Maybe its time for the majority to start listening. DscEchame (Listen to me).