Latinx Segregation in Fort Collins: Interview with Dr. Ernesto Sagás
Dr. Ernesto Sagás is a professor in the Ethnic Studies Department at Colorado State University, apart from being a professor, Sagás is an author, a co-editor of a couple of documentaries, as well as a political analyst for Univision Colorado.
Sagás greets me at the door and takes a seat at his desk to finish up some work on his computer. His office is decorated with colorful blankets, many posters and frames adorning his wall, and two bookshelf mirroring each other filled with a variety of ethnic studies books.
It is unknown to many residents of Fort Collins, but there is a division in the community. In Fort Collins there is a division between the Latinx community and the rest of the town, it is something that alienates this already marginalized, minority community. Dr. Sagás acknowledged the division and explains why it has prevailed in the area.
Beyond the Oval: Do you believe that the Latinx community is segregated or even alienated in Fort Collins?
Dr. Ernesto Sagás: There is no official Segregation in Fort Collins, it is not forced, but there is a geographical segregation. Latinos tend to live on the northside of town, the train tracks divide the town and hispanics live on the other side of the racks. Let me start by giving some history. Hispanics came to the town in the early 1900s, workers came from the Southwest US and immigrants from Mexico came to work in the sugar mill factories [Great Western Sugar Company], which was located on the North side of town.
According to Sagás, in this part of town there were unofficial “sunset laws”, which indicated that there should be no one out on the town after sunset. Sagás explained that these “laws” were used to target the Latinx community, as well as served a role in racial profiling and police brutalilty in the community.
Sagás: Those unofficial laws were eliminated by the Chicanx movement in the 70’s. Signs like “No dogs or Mexicans” came down but we can still see the lasting effects of the discrimination. After the movement, Chicanos started taking more mid level positions and the middle class moves up more and more, and more immigrants come into towns. It is important to know that race and labor go hand in hand. More Latinos in Fort Collins take jobs like construction because there is so many of those jobs.
What do you think could be done to help the Latinx population in Fort Collins, or is there anything that is being done already that you know of ?
Sagás: Education. The way people move up is education. This does not mean education for Immigrant parents more so of their children.
He mentioned how it is harder for students not to graduate from college, due to the many obstacles that they face, for example, rising tuition and/or help for students to pay for their education, and lack of support to keep these students in college. He also talked about how many students from metropolitan areas in Colorado find it hard to come to school here due to the lack of representation that they experience here, a cultural shock.
How do you feel that these issues play out on our campus?
Sagás: It takes a toll on these students to come to a town where people are openly hostile to people of color. They feel like they have no community here so coming here is really a white wild west for these students and what makes their parents so conflicting to let their students come here. Their parents would rather have them in Denver. Making it hard to attract talent from people of color who come from Denver or Pueblo. It is a different Colorado for them.
Do you have any personal experiences with these issues yourself?
Sagás: I have not personally, no. I am very lucky to work in such a diverse department, the most diverse department on campus. I know of colleagues from other departments where they do experience it, they are tokenized, experience micro-aggression, etc.
Whether it is acknowledged or not, the unofficial segregation of litanx and other marginalized group exists in Fort Collins. Its ripples are felt not just in the community but by Latinx university students who come to Fort Collins to find that their community is separated from the rest of the town, making it hard to succeed when they feel unwelcome and like strangers in the college town.
I want to thank Dr. Ernesto Sagás, for taking the time to let me have this conversation with him and for all the great knowledge and information about this important topic.
