At its core, a cultural center is far more than a physical space. It is a living community. A place where students can bring their full identities into the room without any explanation, where their culture is celebrated rather than questioned, and where belonging becomes foundational to their success. For many Latine/x students, cultural centers serve as a home away from home, a gateway to employment opportunities, campus resources, mentorship, and community connection.
At Rutgers University-New Brunswick, the Center for Latino Arts and Culture (CLAC) serves as a thriving community for the 18% of its student population that identifies as Latine/x. The CLAC was established in 1992 by a committee of Latino faculty, staff, and students from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Its founding was largely inspired by student protests, which called for a space where they could be seen, valued, and represented. The establishment of the CLAC followed a long history of student activism on college campuses in the United States.
With thirty-plus years on Rutgers’ campus, the CLAC serves as a staple location in the community, welcoming many students, faculty, staff, and community members through its doors to learn about the Latine/x culture through the eyes of the artists whose paintings and photos beautifully decorate the Center. The most visible form of welcoming the community is through the mural created for the Center’s west wall by Ecuadorian-born Rutgers alumnus Lenny Correa with the words, "Esta Es Tu Casa - We Belong" - emphasizing the long-standing history of the Latine/x student population at Rutgers University and beyond.
Over the last twenty-five years, the CLAC has celebrated and educated the Rutgers and New Brunswick community about the richness and diversity of Latine/x culture through its donated art collection which features Inez Aponte, Janet Baldares, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Annalee Davis, Silvia Teresa Flota Reyes, Felipe Galindo, Noè Hernandez, Will Grant, Ezequiel Jimenez, Yolanda Lopez, Amalia Mesa Baines, Maria Mijares, Catalina Parra, Gloria Rodriguez Calero, Juan Sanchez, Armando Sosa, Bibiana Suarez, Felipe Ujpan Mendoza, Raúl Villarreal, and Karin Weyland. Their work is representative of various styles and techniques. All have incorporated their cultural traditions and ethnic backgrounds into their work.
In addition to its powerful collection, the CLAC offers signature programming, leadership development retreats, and collaborative cultural initiatives that make this Center a student-centered, inclusive community where students can better integrate experiential, academic, and service learning about Latinx/a/o arts and culture to become well rounded individuals and global citizens.
Every fall semester, the CLAC kicks off the academic year by welcoming its new class, returning students, faculty, staff, and alumni to engage in a plethora of programs, many of which hosted during Latine/x Heritage Month (Sept. 15th – Oct. 15th). Programs such as Welcome to La Familia (Welcome to the Family), community walking tours, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and Parranda, educate the community on the histories and cultural traditions that many of our communities cherish and uphold. These events highlight the depth and multifaceted identities of the Latine/x and African diasporas, and of course, they are often accompanied by Latine/x delicacies from local restaurants and musical performances from bands such as Cuerdas de Borinquen.
Beyond celebration and community building, the CLAC also promotes the work of the faculty from the Latino and Caribbean Studies Department (LCS), inviting the community to engage in talks and faculty lectures that address the history and complex social, political, and cultural realities that directly impact Latine/x communities and African diasporas. The CLAC collaborates with over twenty-five student organizations, the Latino Alumni Association of Rutgers University (LAARU), academic departments, and The Cultural Collaborative which is comprised of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBTQ Communities and the Asian American Cultural Center, as well as local community organizations, all in an effort to ensure that programming is interdisciplinary, culturally grounded, and responsive to student needs.
We understand that engaging in cultural celebrations and learning about our roots and histories is as important as exploring our leadership and how our cultural upbringing informs the ways in which we lead in our communities. At the CLAC, we promote leadership development as a form of cultural advocacy and advancement. Students are encouraged to think of leadership beyond holding a title; it is reflected in mentoring their peers, advocating for their communities, organizing events, facilitating conversations, and showing up consistently for one another. Leadership retreats, such as the Manifestaciones Retreat, organized in collaboration with the Latino Student Council (LSC), gives first- and second-year students intentional time away from their daily demands to critically reflect on their leadership skills, engage in team building, goal setting, and community care to help build a socially just and inclusive community at Rutgers.
My philosophy when cultivating these partnerships is to uphold not only the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but also give attention to the "silent E," which is Exposure. In doing so, students can see themselves reflected in leaders, scholars, and changemakers who have walked similar paths, reinforcing the belief that their aspirations are attainable. These experiences provide more than community; they embrace the spirit of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are." At the heart of this work is the understanding that individual achievement and collective advancement are interconnected, a principle deeply rooted in traditions of communal care and responsibility across the African and Indigenous diasporas.
The mission is to continue to provide students with something that is often difficult to quantify, but essential for student retention and success: belonging. In many ways, this community embodies what Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs outlines as necessary for human growth and self-actualization. Before students can fully thrive academically or professionally, they must first feel safe, supported, connected, and valued. Cultural centers help meet these foundational needs by creating environments where students can exist authentically and build meaningful relationships rooted in trust and understanding.
Especially for first-generation students, students of color, and students navigating systems that were not historically built with them in mind, these spaces can become anchors during challenging moments. They provide students with community during periods of uncertainty, affirmation during moments of self-doubt, and encouragement during times of transition. They remind students that they do not have to navigate higher education alone.
This work extends learning far beyond the classroom. Ultimately, cultural centers are transformative because they affirm that student success is not solely measured by grades or degrees earned. Success is also measured by whether students feel seen, whether they believe they belong, whether they have opportunities to grow into leadership, and whether they can imagine a future for themselves within spaces that honor their identities and lived experiences.
For many students, the CLAC has become more than a gathering space. It is a living community that walks alongside them throughout their educational journey, one that empowers them to lead, to question, grow, and succeed both inside and outside the classroom. And as we always say, Pa’lante!
For more information about the Center for Latino Arts and Culture at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, please visit www.clac.rutgers.edu.
About the author
Roseilyn Guzman (she/her/ella), serves as the Director of the Center for Latino Arts and Culture at Rutgers University. As a first-generation college graduate, she has dedicated herself to supporting students develop both personally and professionally during their collegiate years. With over a decade of experience in higher education, she combines her personal experiences with her professional expertise to increase access to resources and empower students to advocate for themselves.
