Izabel Nuñez Pérez Oral History Interview, May 13, 2021

Partial Transcript: Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel was born and raised in Healdsburg, california. She grew up on the property where her parents worked, which was on a vineyard. Her dad and uncles were laborers at the vineyard her mom worked in the home for the property owners. She grew up in a rural and agricultural community. She stated that her elementary school education was very high quality because it was funded by the winery owners in the area and they sent their kids there, she was one of only a few non-White students at the school.
Being one of the only non-White students posed issues, she was placed in ELD even though she was a fluent English speaker and had issues with the ELD teacher exhibited benevolent racism towards her family. It was not until high school that she began to make friends with other Latinx kids and became part of a Spanish-speaking community.

Keywords: California; ELD; ESL; Healdsburg; Northern California; Vineyards; Winery

Partial Transcript: What was it like growing up in a tourist town?

Segment Synopsis: The town that Izabel grew up in was dependent on the tourism industry, which created two classes of residents. The kids she went to school with fell into two social classes: the children of the winery/vineyard owners who had generational wealth and were enrolled in extracurriculars and advanced courses, and the children of the laborers who could not afford to participate in these same activities. Izabel moved between the two groups because she played volleyball, where she was the only Mexican athlete on the team. This left her feeling isolated, she had low self-esteem, and struggled with the lack of community and representation.

Keywords: AP; Class Consciousness; Classism; IB; Latina; Latinx; Napa; Napa Valley; Representation; Spanish Language; Tourism; Volleybal

Partial Transcript: What were the effects of growing up in a predominantly White area?

Segment Synopsis: Growing up in an area where the children who were playing sports and taking advanced courses were the children of wealthy White land owners led Izabel to internalize feelings of inferiority. She did not participate in many the extracurriculars she wanted to because she felt inadequate or lonely. In high school,, she spoke to family about these feeling and became more outspoken to fix it for herself and others. In college she credits some professors who supported her on this journey

Keywords: Imposter Syndrome; Inferiority Complex; Latinx; Othering; underrepresented; underreprestented minority

Partial Transcript: Why did you decide to attend OSU?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel originally wanted to visit a different state, and thought Oregon was liberal and progressive. She had a culture shock when she arrived at OSU and saw only white students and learned of Oregon's racist past. She considered leaving OSU during freshman year as an engineering student when she felt that it was a toxic environment. It was when she found Spanish classes and other Spanish-speaking students that she decided to stay. She did not feel as though she fit in well with the students at the Centro either.

Her sophomore year, Izabel joined a dance group that was a space for women of color to dance, it was a safe space introduced to her from her Spanish classes and she met her best friends. She also got a job at the Center for Civic Engagement, switched majors, and became involved with AOSU, which all introduced her to new people and allowed her to build a community that is very diverse and accepting.

Keywords: ASOSU; Center for Civic Engagement; Centro Cultural César Chávez; Engineering Major; Oregon History; Oregon State University; Spanish Class; Student of Color

Partial Transcript: Can you speak more about the 'liberal façade' at Oregon State University?

Segment Synopsis: Perez shares a story of a time she was hanging out in a public part of campus while talking on the phone to her mom in Spanish. She was getting dirty looks from other students when they heard her speak Spanish. She describes this experience as having the background music shut off: not seeing other Latinx people around campus, seeing white people as the landscapers, and not having the culture of her family and hometown around her. After her first year, Izabel learned more about the history of Oregon and became involved in student activism.

Keywords: Constitutional Racism; Cultural Competency; Discrimination; Microagressions; Neoliberalism; Racism; Settler Colonialism; Spanish Speakers

Partial Transcript: Why did you decide to run for president?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel was originally not interested in running for ASOSU president because she had been having a difficult time with their resistance to change. A friend convinced Izabel to run for ASOSU president and convinced her that this would be the best way to get the desired outcomes. Izabel decided she would work with ASOSU to improve it from within. Confidence, support, and courage came from her friends who pushed her to run to fight for those who did not have representation or respect on campus.

Keywords: ASOSU; Associated Student Body; Oregon State Administration; Student Leadership

Partial Transcript: What has your experience been?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel credits the BLM movement during the summer of 2020 as creating a climate on campus that was ready to discuss difficult racial issues and would look for solutions. She participated in a workshop focusing on the fundamental privileges that come from race, and spoke to White people who were triple her age but did not have an understanding of White Privilege yet. She also spoke to university leadership on how they respond to the majority of the students, who are majority white, which leads minority students to feel neglected and forgotten. This was an exhausting summer for Izabel, she was burnt out by it and by educating people at all levels of the administration who were learning about racial dynamics for the first time. She was thankful that the climate was at a point where she could be both outspoken and heard, whereas other members of the ASOSU were overlooked or not heard because they were not in the president's office.

Keywords: 2020; BLM; Black Lives Matter; Diversity; Inclusion; Race Relations; White Privilege; Workshops

Partial Transcript: What was the response from OSU?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel is critical of the administration taking credit for the student cultural centers on campus. The cultural centers are not funded by the school or grants, they are funded directly by the students, maintained by student fees. CAPS, MU, cultural centers, food pantries, and childcare are all paid for by the students, not the administration.

Izabel also discusses The Scab Sheet, a Zine that was created by the Black Student Union in the 1960s and 1970s. These were zines written by students detailing their racist experiences on campus. A professor of Izabel's rediscovered the zines and reprinted them. The professor began receiving calls from the school administration asking that they stop the project but was ultimately allowed to continue.
Izabel also discussed the school's poor picture choice for their George Floyd memorial, which did not show his face.

These are all noted as ways in which the administration works against progress at times and can silence the racist history and legacy at OSU. Izabel lamented that the administration uses the cultural center and on-campus diversity for recruitment, but ignores the experience of the minority students on campus who reach out asking for help. She and her friends sometimes get their pictures taken and used as marketing for diversity without their consent.

Keywords: Black Student Union; CAPs; Childcare; Cultural Centers; Diversity Marketing; Food Pantry; George Floyd; Scab Sheets; Student Fees; Student Leadership; Student Zine; The Scab Sheet

Partial Transcript: Has the administration changed their response?

Segment Synopsis: The administration is making changes but they work in 5-year plans. Izabel noted that most students will leave prior to 5 years. The administration has been more receptive to calls for quicker responses and is moving in that direction.
Izabel believes that once Ethnic Studies as a department receives more funding, the changes will occur more rapidly. She suggests that Ethnic Studies will provide education on anti-capitalism, colonialism, neoliberalism, and settler colonialism to understand subtle racism and microaggression. However, currently the feeling within academia is that Ethnic Studies is an afterthought.

Keywords: Ethnic Studies; academia; anti-capitalism; colonialism; neoliberalism; settler colonialism

Segment Synopsis: Izabel discusses ASOSU's history of being hostile to women of color. ASOSU did not have good relationships with cultural centers and had a reputation as pushing the centers out and ignoring them. Izabel notes that the ASOSU upholds White American values, promoting ideas of professionalism that focus on White language and attire that are hostile to people of color. They have been invested in maintaining the power structure and Izabel brought a new ideology and a new leadership style, which ended up earning them an investigation. Her leadership style is one that is structured around collectivism, always bringing a diverse group of members to any panel she participates in.

Keywords: ASOSU; Bureaucracy; Collectivism; Latinx; People of Color; Power Structures; Whiteness; Women of Color

Partial Transcript: Do you think you were investigated because you are a WOC?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel recognizes that her identity as a WOC has provided her with many racist and discriminatory experiences. Some people are apologetic and claim to still be learning, but Izabel just hopes that their learning is not at the expense of others. Administration and students are still progressing, but it is hurtful to the students of color who meet them where they are.

Keywords: ASOSU; Discrimination; Identity; Women of Color

Partial Transcript: How do you keep going?

Segment Synopsis: Izabel credits her community, friends, mentors, staying physically active, CAPS, literature, and her classes with keeping her healthy and balanced. She is implementing lessons she has learned, practicing her spirituality and enjoying comfort shows to stay strong.

Keywords: CAPS; Community; Literature; Mentorship; Spirituality