I am not saying that we can seek support only from members of our own race. But a lot of times it is very important to have that connection. It is much the same reason that girls rely on female RCs and boys rely on male ones. In sharing a certain perspective, my RC can often understand and empathize with me better than a male RC could. This same scenario applies to race as well.
Common ground is essential when one turns to another for support.
Racial and cultural ties are a huge source of this, and must be upheld. Although IMSA does a good job of drawing ethnic minorities into the student body, once they get here, there is not enough of a support system to rely on. We have been torn from our home environment, living away from the parents that have always served as our role models. If IMSA is prepared to remove us from our parents, it must provide us with something of that same cultural support. We come here preparing for adulthood, laying the foundations of our future.