The Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice at Hofstra University

Mental health awareness is crucial in communities of color for several reasons. Promoting mental health awareness in communities of color is vital to address the unique challenges and barriers these communities face. It is essential for breaking down stigma, improving access to resources, and providing culturally competent care to ensure everyone has the support they need for their mental well-being. More specifically, how these benefits are necessary for students of color in college. As mentioned, many communities of color face significant stigma around mental health issues. There might be cultural norms or beliefs that stigmatize mental health discussions or seeking professional help. Awareness initiatives can help break down these barriers by providing accurate information and encouraging open conversations. Mental health resources on college campuses vary, but typically, most universities offer a range of support services for students. Counseling Centers are a predominant resource...

Many of us have people that we look up to as role models. Even those who do not have a specific person to look up to have met people who have attributes they admire and have in some way adopted those attributes. Role models are important in our lives because they give us an idea of who we should seek to be as we get older. You may have a parent, sibling, or celebrity that serves as your role model thus giving you a blueprint for what to strive to be. There may be features that make these role models appealing such as their appearance, attitude, or success. One important aspect that may be overlooked is how well you relate to your role model. A major problem within communities of color is that some lack someone to look up to that has the same racial or cultural identification. Why Communities of Color Need Their Own Role Models In the area where I got my K-12 education, most of the students were Hispanic with the next major population consisting of black students. Despite this, most o...

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the Center’s colloquia and, on November 15, 2023, to present my research into sources of the social model of disability. The social model created a foundation for both disability studies and the disability rights movement of the 1970s and 1980s, which, in turn, prompted passage of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. It challenged the prevailing view of disability as a pitiable, personal misfortune to be cured, if possible, by medical practitioners. Instead, the social model assumed that physical or mental anomalies only became disabilities in a disabling physical or social environment. Using a wheelchair, for example, is not much of a disability in a built environment equipped with ramps, elevators, electric doors, and sufficiently wide doorways. An anomaly becomes a disability only when society makes it so. This view prompted scholars to study disability as a social construct, like gender. It also prompted activists to ...