Diversity & Inclusion Through My Eyes

19 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION THROUGH MY EYES

Isaac Ramos, Student ASID is a BS, Interior Architecture + Design Candidate ’21 at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Connect with Isaac on Instagram at @Isaacjcreatives

My father once told me, “You have to work 10x harder because you’re Hispanic.” Back then, I was too young to understand what that meant.

By the time I had reached my freshman year of college, I had already faced many hardships in life. When I changed majors from photography to interior design, I was shocked to be the only Hispanic male in my class, but that did not intimidate me.

Would I have to prove to others that being the only male and person of color majoring in a field where white women/men had an advantage to grow? Yes! Was that going to stop me? That is a big no. I have been turned down for internships, lost several competitions, and have had doors closed, no doubt in my mind from my last name being so Latin, “Ramos”. It may not be obvious to some, and you may ask why I felt that way, but during that time the world was facing a division like never before. It became a struggle for Hispanic, Black, and non-white individuals to just get through day to day.

We are looked down on and not given a chance to give our all – in a world that faced, and currently is still facing, inequality and injustice. Relationships with people have been torn because they do not understand the struggles of being a minority in America, the “Land of the Free”. Today, I have realized that being bilingual in the interior design industry is such a huge advantage. So many of the designs today are inspired by the South American culture. Latina as a culture is becoming more powerful and finally having our voices projected and heard!

Now, I am not writing this to belittle a specific race because, that makes me just like those that have been doing to us for centuries. We all need to be treated the same. I am proud to say, I am Isaac Ramos and I am part of a generation that WILL change the world because we see the world with equality and justice FOR ALL.