The members of Queer People of Color occupied a booth for a second time along with several other clubs at Club Rush on March 3, open for teeming students eager to join organizations offered at Fullerton College.
The QPOC club formed last semester and started petitioning in October to be established. After enduring a two-month process, the club became official in the first week of December.
The club also sends a weekly newsletter, to about 250 students, detailing various events and volunteer opportunities around the area. Each meeting, the club averages about 30 attendees consistently, which is a big jump from starting with five students.
QPOC not only promotes minority rights, especially for those who are in the LGBT community, but endorses the belief that belonging shouldn’t have requirements, according to Co-Founder Allan Ramirez.
“Although the club is Queer People of Color, it’s not a requirement to be any of those things,” Ramirez said. “The club is a place to feel connected and not be judged of sexual orientation, race and color, which really resonates with people.”
Ramirez added that the main contributor to streamlining the process of making the club official was Rachael Morris, FC’s Inter-Club Council secretary.
“Rachael joined our club last semester. Since she was already involved in Inter-Club Council, she was able to help with the paperwork to make the process much more smooth and seamless,” Ramirez said.
Every club meeting starts with an icebreaker to meet new people, help students share similar interests and feel as if they belong somewhere, especially since college can be a daunting often lonely experience.
“Many people thank us for making the club because they now have friends and will mention that they didn’t know anyone in their first semester, but now they know so many more people they can talk to,” Ramirez said, noting that club members are like family.
Ramirez also said they often attend events like the UC Riverside Trans Conference and discuss trending issues like HIV, drugs and Black History Month in connection to the LGBT community during the weekly meetings.
“It’s really nice to see support from the college and student body,” said Vice President Euridice Luna, one of the original members of QPOC. “As the vice president, not only can I help expand the club even more, I can work together with everyone to listen to their ideas and what they would like to see on campus.”
Student empowerment and sense of belonging are the key components that QPOC wants to nurture in its steadily growing body of members.
QPOC meets every Thursday in Room 327 from 2-3:30 p.m.
