A-State Young Democrats host “Minority inEquality” panel

The Herald - news









The Arkansas State University Young Democrats hosted a “Minority inEquality” panel to discuss the inequalities people of color face.











The panel was comprised of four Arkansas State faculty members. Booker Mays, Jerrod Lockhart, Ana Saucedo and Sandra L Combs discussed their personal experience with inequality and how those experiences have helped them in their lives.






Assistant Dean of Greek Life and A-State graduate, Booker Mays said his experience with race varied during his time as a student at Arkansas State. 





“I think my experience was kind of unique. As a football player, I was kind of in a box,” Mays said. “So, I would notice some iniquities, but being inside that bubble downplayed some things I should have seen all along.”





He also said that, in order to change those inequalities, it is important to continue to discuss racial issues and interact and understand people from different races and cultures..





Lockhart who works in the Leadership Center with the TRIO Student Support Services program noted that it is important to realize that everyone has a story.





A Little Rock native, he said his experiences with inequality began during his junior high school years. Lockhart, who is currently working on his master’s degree in social work, said he wants to be an advocate for the disenfranchised and encouraged those present to do the same.





“You future leaders who are getting ready to graduate, I encourage you to challenge the structural inequality that exists in this country and be authentic about it,” Lockhart said. 





Ana Saucedo, a recruitment adviser in the A-State Office of Recruitment said she has spend much of her time recruiting Hispanic students. 





 The Hispanic population at Arkansas is only 2% and Saucedo’s goal is to increase that number.





Saucedo was born in Mexico and relates to the obstacles that Hispanic students face when applying for college.





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