SOCA Helps MS Students Connect, Share and Build Community

Middle School students in the Students of Color Affinity group recently came together for some camaraderie, learning and fun.

Our Middle School Students of Color Affinity group provides a regular opportunity for any student in 6th through 8th grades who identifies as a student of color to share and discuss their experiences of race so they feel supported, included and successful.

Faculty Co-Advisors Esmeralda Mayorga (College Counseling) and 7th grade History teacher Alex Munro opened their most recent meeting with a video featuring Izzy Sanabria and spoke about the connection between Salsa music and its global origins. They also commented on the power of music and culture as they viewed Bad Bunny’s teaser video promoting his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.

The group called attention to the upcoming observance of Indigenous Peoples Day, including a land acknowledgment to the Potawatomi, Odawa and Ojibwe tribes who occupied Chicago long ago and are credited with originating the city's name. Students heard a list of religious and cultural observances during the month of October before Munro introduced the group to the concept of a “global majority.”

Munro noted that, while each of the students in his classroom may not see a large number of people who look like them in the various spaces they occupy regularly, he used the term “global majority” to refer to people who are “Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south and/or have been racialized as ‘ethnic minorities.’” Munro shared that these people represent more than 80% of the world’s population, according to educator and activist Rosemary Campbell-Stephens, who coined the term, reassuring students that many people around the world look just like them.

Mayorga then encouraged students to share their favorite songs for inclusion on the MS SOCA playlist. Fun and food followed as Intermediate and Middle School Coordinator and Director of Activities Tierra Moore served students pizza for lunch, followed by socializing and the opportunity to participate in craft activities.

Enjoy photos from this gathering here.