Casa Zapata Community Email regarding disparaging comments

Below please find the important email the Casa Zapata staff sent out to the comunidad list serve on February 14th, 2023.

Dear Casa Zapata Residents and Fourth Floors,

Casa Zapata staff hopes your winter quarter is going well and you are taking care of yourself as much as you can.

As staff mentioned in week 4, we have been working on a statement to address the incidents that have occurred in our dorm. We first want to thank you for allowing us to take time, and understand that we are students as well. We did not mean to go radio silent; we were working diligently to ensure our message meets the needs of our residents and community members.

Casa Zapata was created to be a safe space for all students on campus regardless of being Latinx/e/a/o or not. When hired, Casa Zapata RAs, ETAs, and RF agreed to uphold this value for our time here and beyond. Before we continue with the rest of the academic year, we must first apologize and take accountability for the comments, messages, and rhetoric that we have allowed in our casita.

Every quarter, Casa Zapata ETAs host weekly programming events, ZapaMondays, hosted by them, pre-assignees, or in collaboration with other student organizations. We always love having our lounge filled with many people coming to learn and discuss topics surrounding our Latinx/e/a/o community. At many of these events, most ETAs and RAs are present.

At one of our ZapaMondays in Fall Quarter, our guest speaker said “F*ck Mexicans.” The harm it has caused in our community cannot be undone. Staff who were present want to apologize for allowing the comment to be said to our attendees and others who heard about the event. Casa Zapata Staff does not condone language that harms people, regardless of their ethnicity/nationality. We apologize for allowing the comment to be passed and not addressing it at the moment.

During a ZapaMonday in Winter Quarter, there was a conversation that took place without substantial acknowledgment of anti-Blackness. We would like to apologize deeply for the hurt that this presentation has caused anyone who attended or heard about the event. We acknowledge that due diligence of review, support, and preparation for the presentation was not completed by ETA staff. The ETA Team plans to fulfill these necessary measures of review for future student-led presentations to ensure that this does not happen again.

The lack of acknowledgment of anti-Blackness aligns with a long-standing issue in the Latinx/e/a/o community and reflects systemic problems both within our community and within the broader society. Casa Zapata does not condone any forms of anti-Blackness, both implicit and explicit, at Stanford and beyond.

We also want to address the comments that have been made regarding standing in line for food. There have been comments that directly or indirectly mention that people should be “in the back” or “go first” based on their ethnicity. We would like to apologize for these comments, as well as how they may have been passed as a joke. These are not jokes. These are harmful comments that will no longer be taken lightly. Casa Zapata staff will never make our community stand in line based on their identity.

These comments about food have been combined with other statements that promote anti-indigeneity. Firstly, we must acknowledge that we are on native land, and the countries / states that we may now identify with are products of the colonial projects. These states continue to be anti-indigenous and anti-Black, having caused harm to indigenous and Black communities across the world.

Moreover, we do not condone behaviors that continue to perpetuate imperialism, xenophobia, and nationalism. The comments made referring to Central American countries, such as El Salvador and Guatemala, as states of Mexico have no space within Casa Zapata. As a community, we will continue to challenge colonial projects, which include all Latin American countries.

Social media has also been a platform that has explicitly mentioned the comments that have been made by or about Casa Zapata Staff, residents, and fourth floors. Although we cannot stop the messages outside of Casa Zapata’s social media platform, we understand the impact that this has on our community and do not condone harmful comments to be made about or from our Zapata Staff, residents, and fourth floors.

As of now, staff will be taking steps to ensure that Casa Zapata is a safe space for all to be in community but also a safe and welcoming environment to learn and grow. We will take the following actions:

• ZapaMonday Dinner Debrief. These dinners will be hosted throughout the quarter and attended by Zapata ETAs and RAs. At the dinners, we hope to create a space where programming attendees can debrief on the topic(s) mentioned that Monday. Staff will start by leading with a question or two, but we want this to be a space where you are able to have the discussions you would like.
• ZapaMonday Format. Throughout the years, ZapaMondays have evolved to be a space based on what community members want. We have noticed that this year, our programming has felt more like a lecture and less like a space to discuss. We will begin to change the format and encourage more open discussion.
• Discussion regarding harmful comments. Along with staff, we want our community members to take accountability for the hurtful comments they have made in Casa Zapata or in regard to Casa Zapata. Both RAs and ETAs will hold open discussions with residents who have made comments to ensure that they are safe and open to discussing why they made such comments.
• Attend CommuniLove Town Hall. Most Zapata RAs and ETAs will be present at the town hall as we listen to the opinions of community members and talk about the future of the Latinx/e/a/o community at Stanford.

We know this message does not erase all the pain, harm, and confusion caused by these events, but we want to thank you for taking the time to read our message. Please know that all of us on staff are here to support you with all the endeavors you face at Stanford. We will no longer tolerate any harmful rhetoric in our casita. We have a welcoming space for anyone who has any comments, questions, concerns, or ideas on how we can continue moving forward.

With Zapamor,
Casa Zapata Staff
RAs: Christopher Pedraza, Emiliano Corona, Jennifer Martinez, Selaine Rodriguez, Valeria Paez, Yuliana Ramirez
ETAs: Angel Rivera, Celine Escarmant, Gema Quetzal
RF: Elvira Prieto