El Centro de la Raza kicked off their year-long 50th year celebration on Sept.17.
The student services center was opened at the University of New Mexico in 1969 under the name Chicano Student Services and is a part of the Division of Student Affairs.
The kickoff event included speakers from every decade since El Centro’s founding. Speakers talked about El Centro de la Raza’s evolution, and a special anniversary logo for the center was also revealed.
“We don't want to do just one event that celebrates 50 years,” said Rosa Isela Cervantes, director and alumni of El Centro de la Raza. “We want to do events throughout the year that represent all those 50 years.”
Cervantes said at the time of the opening students wanted UNM to recognize the significant amount of Chicanos on campus. A center was opened in order to strengthen these student’s connection to their identity while also assisting them in academics.
The name was later changed from Chicano Student Services to Hispanic Student Services in an effort to identify with students who had roots in Latin America, rather than just Mexico. The term Chicano references Mexican-Americans, while Hispanic is an umbrella term.
Another name change came in 1995 when UNM students voted on the name El Centro de la Raza. This was another effort to include Latinos and Latinas of all identities, rather than just those who identify as Hispanic.
Cervantes recalled being involved in voting for the new name as an undergraduate.
“In the end, we were already calling it El Centro,” Cervantes said. “It was the translation of the center, and it became very easy for us to say. And ‘raza’ to us means community and people together.”
She said since its opening, it continues to be about making sure students feel supported.
“Initially, there was more of that social connection and definitely action in terms of fighting for different rights and opportunities,” Cervantes said. “And I think some of that remains very alive at El Centro, but we’ve also expanded.”
Today, El Centro offers a variety of services, including mentoring, scholarships, advocacy and professional development. The center is open to all students regardless of ethnicity.
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Yesenia Ruiz, a current student programs specialist at El Centro, has been going to the center since 2007 when she was an undergraduate. She described El Centro as the “kick-it spot” where students could come together to study and connect.
“I can honestly say that without having a place like El Centro, my college experience would have been different,” Ruiz said. “I realized a lot of things about myself, especially my identity and how amazing and great it is to be able to use who I am and where I come from as a strength.”
Makayla Grijalva is a freelance multimedia reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted by email at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MakayalEliboria.
