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National Hispanic American Heritage Month
Pictured above clockwise from top left:
Zack Chavez - Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference,
Eric SanInoncencio - ACC,
Bruna Pacheco - William Woods University,
Ryan Garcia - Keiser University,
Kelvin Queliz - University of New Orleans,
Lindy Zamora - Long Beach State University,
Brian Morales - Wagner College (right, with his father)
by Kelvin Queliz – University of New Orleans, Associate Athletic Director for Communications, Marketing & Digital
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I wanted to speak candidly on the representation of Latinx in athletics communications. As of October 1, 13 professionals had filled out a Google Sheet with their Hispanic ties.
The Hispanic culture is filled with excitement, passion and energy. The way we carry ourselves, the flare of which we communicate is evident. I am Dominican and born and raised in New York City (de lo mio) and I’ll explain why representation is important.
I was handling Hispanic Heritage videos on our campus and in walked two student-athletes that are of Latinx descent. They said, “Kelvin, I didn’t know you were one of us.” Later in the week, I got texts about food, barber shops, etc… small examples of how we always look after our own.
Note: Kelvin Queliz was featured in the May 2021 episode of CoSIDA's series "Through My Lens"
Latinx is the fastest growing ethnic group in the country and in order to increase the number of Hispanic SIDs, we need to advocate for those that look like us. Look for positions that allow you to tell the story of Latinx student-athletes and be extremely intentional about the messaging. Advocating isn’t a checklist. It’s telling stories of growing up in household that do not speak English. The culture is a huge talking point as we often mistake flare for arrogance.
Intentionally telling stories means getting to know student-athletes — all student-athletes. For this piece, we’ll focus on Hispanic student-athletes. Ask,wqhat is a food you miss from home, what is a message you can want your family to hear (in Spanish), etc… It gives a sense of comfort when we allow student-athletes to tell stories their way.
I’m sure there’s more than 13 Latinx professionals in our field. That number should reflect colleges and universities, and many American-born Latinx are the first to attend college in their families. In telling stories, I think authenticity is huge, and if comfortable, interview in a unique way. If video, ask questions in Spanish and English, or Spanglish like many of us speak (it’s not actually pitcher in English and Spanish but it sure sounds better than lanzador).
Last year, the
NCAA completed a diversity research study and of one percent of head sports information directors are Hispanic since 2016. Assistant or associate SIDs account for two percent across NCAA universities. One percent of the largest growing population in the United States. That either means we aren’t advocating for Latinx in college athletics or we aren’t giving the platform to pay it forward.
To be spotlighted is a privilege and as a grey-haired veteran of CoSIDA, and as someone who oversees external relations, I am proud to speak about our cultures and pride.
NCAA Resource: Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month