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Originally Posted by Monarca7
I was going to start a new thread but this one seemed to fit anyway…sooo…
Question...why have so many Latino orgs made this "We are actually a multicultural now" move. I'm not saying that its bad or good that each individual organizations choice...but why? When you look at other relatively young culturally organizations like Asian orgs, Native American orgs, and Non-NPHC African American orgs they have not changed at all. However, you constantly here of Latino orgs that change their designation from Latino/a to Multicultural. So my question isn't why specific orgs have done it but why its seems to be more prevalent amongst Latino orgs that other orgs
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My first guess is that it is due to the fact that Latino is not a race.
You might be from any country in East Asia, but you are clearly Asian. You might be from any country in South Asia, but you are clearly South Asian. You might be from any Indian Nation, but you are clearly Native American. You might be from any of the 50 states, but you are clearly African American (even with the diverse skin tones). The country, state, county or city might change, and so the customs for each, but the race is the same for all (I know there are differences and I am generalizing, so bare with me.)
In the case of Latinos, I just remember a census application I filled some years back. The choices were: White (non Hispanic), Black (non Hispanic), Asian (no Hispanic), Hispanic, Native American. The only thing that join Latinos together as a group are the language and the similarities in cultures (regardless of the many differences between the countries).
As an example, group X has a pledge class with a Asian-Peruvian, Black-Dominican, White-Argentinean, Mixed-Puerto Rican, etc... to name a few. For whatever reason, the Peruvians befriends other Asians, the Dominicans befriends Caribbeans and the Argentinean befriends some Europeans (Just due to first impressions based on race, and may be due to similarities in tastes). From the friendship, these other friends decide to join group X. Try that for several years, so that even though you have Latino pledges, you also have more and more non-Latino pledges.
After a few years, the non-Latinos are easily a third (being kind with the numbers, they could be more). The fraternity might not change focus and might still work towards the Latino empowerment. The non-Latinos know it and agree (they knew before they join). It is not a fraternity that due to the diversity in campus accepted some members from other cultures. It is now a fraternity where a good portion of its membership is multicultural. Does it mean that It'll need to refocus? No. The non-latinos will not ask it. Yet, the Latino brothers might want to be inclusive of their brothers, and this is how a chapter of LGLO, became multicultural. Just a thought.
Sorry, I didn't think it would take me this long. I know there are exaggerations and so forth, but you get the idea. An LGLO is multiracial just for our own diversity. Multiracial may soon become, although not necessarily, multicultural.