Diversity. The word itself gets me empowered, excited, and aware. Diversity means so much to me. Like most of the competencies I previously discussed, self-awareness is key in developing.
So who am I? My name is Rodrigo Velasquez, and I hold so many identities that make me diverse. I am of Hispanic heritage, born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I am a brother, son, caretaker, provider. I am a DREAMer. I am queer. I am working class, a first generation college student. I am so much more than meets the eye. Unwavering, resilient, unapologetic, unafraid. I am vulnerable, caring, cautious.
I am Rodrigo.
The identities I hold have shaped my life experiences, how I see diversity, and how I challenge notions of diversity as an agent of social change. Being who I am, I have lived my life at the intersection of many movements, though at times stories of people like me have been erased. Which is why I seek to challenge that.
To me, diversity is the understanding that people come with different stories, histories, and backgrounds. But to add to that, diversity is also how systems of privilege and oppression have worked to silence the stories of many and empower those within the mainstream. As a leader, I have sought to amplify the voices of those living their lives at the margins because too often stories of people with marginalized identities are silenced.
Some of my work this year has included co-facilitating a presentation of Challenging Safe Spaces for the Leadership Mason Conference. Often times the word, “safe space” has been used in various settings, yet the spaces deemed safe have not always been safe. Some examples for me have included experiencing how queer spaces not always been safe for people of color, and vice versa. Being a working class student not being understood within the residence hall I lived in. My immigration status excluding me from spaces of social activism. These experiences are not just my own, but that of various people in our society. Challenging the notions of safe space begins with understanding how these spaces haven’t always been safe. Having statistical diversity isn’t as important as increasing cultural competency within the community. Understanding how systems of oppression work, navigating all the identities we have, and pushing boundaries of mainstream oppression is also what diversity means to me.
Principles of diversity have allowed me to foster and grow as a leader. I have been allowed to share space, rhetoric, and insight with amazing activists like Laverne Cox, Prerna Lal, and many more people who are committed to social activism. My identities and stories have allowed me to speak to undocumented youth in DC about higher education, hopefully empowering them to continue on in their pursuits of fulfilling lives knowing that they have a support system within me and other DREAMers. I have discussed the intersection of being queer and undocumented thanks to my involvement with Mason DREAMers, being on an informative panel and bringing awareness to the Mason community about important issues. All these experiences and more have shaped me into to the leader I am today. I am here because of the diversity, not because it is the perfect community, but because of the opportunities this diversity allows for.
Diversity is the canvas Mason has been given to work with. What we do with that diversity is what I hope to influence, so that everyone is included in the Mason story and so that we as members of the Mason community continue our commitment so social change.