Philosophy has historically excluded the voices of women and people of color. The Philosophy Club of El Paso Community College (EPCC) is transforming this history by encouraging its members, 85% of them, Mexican American, to think critically and to take the courageous route of becoming philosophers. El Paso Community College serves more than 27,000 students and is located on the U.S. – Mexico border between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. Most EPCC students navigate the challenges of both cultures and have the unique experiences of being on the front lines of international political debates that range from immigration policies to the deadly effects of racism. Many EPCC students cross a physical bridge every day from Mexico to the U.S. and vice versa and endure the contestation of their identities on both sides of the border. This phenomenon has led to very interesting philosophical conversations and projects inside and outside the classroom.
The EPCC Philosophy Club was founded by Professor Manuela Alejandra Gomez in 2012. It began with 5 members and now has over 650 followers on Facebook. Each meeting hosts an average of 20 to 30 students. The two-hour meetings are held biweekly at the main EPCC Valle Verde campus on Friday nights. This is because most members are non-traditional students who work full-time jobs. Many of them are first-generation college students, but membership to the club is not limited to students, as other members of the community also participate. Several children attend the meetings along with their parents when they can’t find a babysitter. Some members invite their friends, even their grandparents. EPCC professors from different disciplines, like sociology, art, and computer science also take part in the club meetings. This has created a diverse and welcoming environment where wisdom from all walks of life is exchanged. The meetings begin with snacks, brief introduction of guests, and an ice breaker. These ice breakers range from philosophy trivia games to activities with littleBits sets, which are modular electronics pieces that snap together with small magnets that allow students to learn coding and basic logic truth tables hands on. After the ice breaker, the discussion begins. The topics are always intentionally assorted.
“Before each meeting,” current member and former club president, Daniel Avitia explains: every member anonymously writes their desired philosophical topic on a piece of paper. Then, the topics are put in a bag that is shaken and then randomly selected for the next meeting. This way, everyone has the fair opportunity to discuss what they like. This method is successful for philosophizing from different perspectives and it attracts participants from various academic fields. Pedagogically, this encourages members to learn from each other,”
Some of the common topics are on existentialism and Latin American philosophy. Perhaps one of the most unique issues discussed has been the philosophy of traffic. It emerged after somebody put in the topic suggestion as a joke, complaining about a long-term construction project on a local highway. This talk turned out to be very fruitful in uncovering the many philosophical layers of city planning and the ontology of traffic jams.
George Molina, secretary of the club, states: “we have these philosophical conversations and I think they are very organic. We begin with a general question, but it constantly changes, and the next thing you know, the conversation has gone somewhere unpredictable. It helps that the professors will tell us about philosophers that have written about the subject. We also discuss books and movies. You bring to the club what you know and most of the time, you leave with new ideas or perspectives.”
Throughout the years, the most reoccurring topic has been on the philosophy of race. In the U.S., fewer than 3% of all philosophers are Mexican American and canonical philosophical discourses lack fair representation of diverse multicultural voices. Furthermore, there are many issues of racism and sexism that affect faculty diversity in academic philosophy. Professor Gomez, who leads the club’s discussions and activities was the first Mexican American in the almost 150-year-history of a prestigious Texas university to ever earn a graduate degree in philosophy.Because of its demographic, the EPCC Philosophy Club has become a radical space where traditional epistemologies are disputed, and new ones are created.
On August 3rd, 2019, the El Paso-Juarez community fell victim to thedeadliest massacre on Mexican Americans in modern U.S. history, when 23 people were killed at a Walmart located 3 minutes away from the main EPCC campus where the club gathers. Ever since, the club has collectively explored the philosophical implications of racism and the phenomenology of the border.
The EPCC Philosophy Club members willingly use their time, not for a grade, but because they are eager to discuss ways in which they can improve their border community. Even though the club students have recognized the power of their voice, they do not simply talk. They do, a lot, as well. They volunteer, fundraise, and have created meaningful projects on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. An important mission of the club is to put philosophy into action.
For the last five years, the club has provided Christmas gifts to all the children at one of the local unaccompanied minor shelters. Before the topic of family separation was in the mainstream news, the club knew the significance of having these migrant kids from all over Latin America feeling alone and scared in the U.S. It has been one of the club’s purposes to make these children feel valued. The idea for the project began after a discussion on the ethics of immigration. In their last visit to the shelter, the club was granted exclusive access to interact with over 100 of these kids. The club brought them a giant rosca de reyes, a traditional Mexican bread and talked to them about philosophy. Before the club members left, one of the kids, holding a soccer ball he had just received, asked to borrow the microphone from the shelter supervisors and said in Spanish: “Gracias por hacernos sentir humanos” [Thank you for making us feel human]. Amidst holding back tears, some of the members left claiming this was one of the most powerful philosophy lessons they had ever experienced. Each of the kids then sent handwritten letters and drawings to all the club members expressing their gratitude. The club realized how significant a piece of paper could be.
Every February the 14th, the club participates in the Spread the Love project that began after a discussion of Platonic love. Some members challenged the club to act to disrupt the traditional notion that romantic love is the only kind worthy of being practiced and celebrated. They decided to create several hundred handmade cards with philosophical quotes and chocolate and take it to the people who would least expect to receive anything for Valentine’s Day. They have been visiting the Opportunity Shelter for the Homeless for the last seven years now. This activity has given everyone a reason to look forward to the day whether they have a date or not. The club also volunteers and cooks for the homeless shelter every Thanksgiving Day.
Additionally, the club regularly attends philosophical conferences and workshops. The members have met Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Kwame Anthony Appiah. They have also organized their own guest lecturer events, that have included philosopher Sunaina Arya who traveled from India to EPCC in 2019 to talk about the challenges of the caste system and to promote her book on Dalit feminism. EPCC Professors Manuela A. Gomez and Kim Diaz engaged in a dialogue that compared her work on Dalit women to the lived experience of women in the borderland.
During the Covid19 pandemic, the meetings have been virtual, but this has not stopped the club’s active involvement. They realized that the migrant and homeless members of the border community would be the most vulnerable and they decided to proactively help. They made over 2,000 reusable face masks with filters under the guidance of medical doctor, and club member, Ejaz Gosani, and distributed them on both sides of the border, along with over a 1,000 food and toiletry items.
Rosa Ramirez, club member, says: “being in this club has helped me become more open-minded and to think philosophically. I have gained a lot of knowledge from my mentors and peers. My favorite activity has been making the masks and knowing that we have made a difference in someone’s life.”
The club recently spoke to the El Paso City Council, asking them to make the ethical choice of giving financial support to the thousands of migrant families in the El Paso community who were neglected by the CARES Act and who did not receive stimulus checks. The measure passed and $12 million dollars was allocated to those families to help them out during this difficult crisis.
“What we do in the club does not fit into any boundaries of philosophical methods,” EPCC Philosophy Professor Aaron Alvarez, and club co-advisor, asserts. “Our students engage with real-world problems directly and develop knowledge of philosophy in their interaction with these.”
While some clubs have difficulty in maintaining themselves over the years, many EPCC Philosophy Club members have stayed active even after graduating from EPCC and going on to finishing graduate school. “The club has remained relevant to most of its participants. Although some have left, others have stayed active for years, even after graduation. The club might have emerged from an institution, but it is there for the community and beyond. This, of course, is only possible due to the unconditional commitment of its members, students and teachers,” Avitia affirms.
Such is the club’s community engagement, that the Mayor of El Paso personally recognized the club’s efforts in a congratulatory letter last year. International media outlets like El Diario, Univision, and Net Noticia shave also featured the club’s actions and commitment to the border community. In 2017, the club traveled to Athens, Greece to learn about the birthplace of Western philosophy. In 2020, they had to cancel all their plans to attend philosophical conferences including the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy for which three EPCC faculty and two club members were scheduled to present. The club’s future projects include the expansion of the EPCC Philosophy Resource Corner, a space created by Professor Gomez that offers free philosophy books and movies to the community.
To learn more about the EPCC Philosophy Club you can follow:
https://www.facebook.com/epccphilosophyclub/
Manuela A. Gomez
Manuela A. Gomez is a Philosophy Professor at El Paso Community College. She has over 15 years of teaching experience on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. She specializes in philosophical pedagogy, ethics, feminism, and Latin American philosophy. She is the author of the book "Rediscovering the Philosophical Importance of Jose Ingenieros - A Bridge between Two Worlds." This work connects pragmatism to Latin American philosophy. She serves as the EPCC District-wide Coordinator for Philosophy and as a Faculty Senator. She may be reached at: mgome327@epcc.edu.
That’s amazing. Thank you for writing this!
Sincerely,
Jeremy