During the closing arguments of the Student Government debate, Unite Party's Jordan Johnson proposed the creation of a memorial at the Reitz Union to showcase "minority achievements." He touted this project as a positive step forward in the advancement of diversity on campus.
As the former president of the Cuban American Student Association at UF and an active member in the Hispanic community, I am offended at Johnson's proposal.
Creating a memorial to show that people "that look like you" can also achieve on campus is patronizing and condescending.
It segregates the student body and sets minority students apart from the unified Gator Nation. A true celebration of diversity is the acknowledgment that we are all members of one community; our achievements shouldn't be qualified as coming from Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian Americans, or Caucasians.
At a time when the President of the United States is a member of a minority group, Johnson should know that true diversity means working together and moving forward for progress, not separating students by race.
I hope students from all backgrounds come together and make it clear to Jordan Johnson that creating false dichotomies in the student body is not the right way to celebrate diversity on campus. All members of this student body should celebrate our achievements together, not according to our individual ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. While I am sure Johnson had the best intentions in his proposal, he missed the point.
