Cesar Chavez. La raza. Protests. Orgullo. Cultura. East LA blowouts. Sit-ins. Deportations.
These are just a few of the words that we hear when we talk about the Latino political movement. For decades, Latinos have been a vocal presence in the conversation of education. In the Southwest, Latinos fought for equal representation in their curriculum in high schools, and for the hiring of Latino teachers and staff members. This later grew into the creation of ethnic studies centers on college campuses. The history of our struggle and our fight is rich, and has spawned countless movies, books, paintings, posters, and dreams. However, this is not about what happened in the 60’s and 70’s, or even the march in 1996, this is about 2011.
Ask anyone about some of the issues affecting Latinos right now and one immediately comes to mind: immigration. When we think of college students, we think of the DREAM Act and the fight for undocumented students who came here as children, having access to higher education so that they can become citizens. To the typical non-Latino, we are loud, proud, and determined. That sentiment however, is not universal.
As an organization, Sigma Lambda Beta has officially supported the DREAM Act, and has taken an official stand against the state of Arizona after the passage of the racist SB 1070 law. Yet, how many of us or our peers have ever read up on the DREAM Act beyond a Facebook profile picture? How many have challenged themselves to hear the arguments both for and against SB 1070? Do you or your chapter brothers know what states have passed laws mirroring Arizona’s? How about the comparison of deportations between Barack Obama and George Bush- whose administration has deported more? Though we can all think of the brother from our chapter that knows all of these, shouldn’t we as men push ourselves to know as much as possible.
Further still, the fact of the matter is that involvement from the Latino youth is almost completely limited to issues regarding Latinos. Why don’t we involve ourselves in the larger political process? Knowing about the current condition of your nation and state’s political climate is an invaluable tool. It is important for you to know how education is being affected by recent budget cuts. For those preparing to go into the job market, it is important to know how Fortune 500’s are being taxed, and what federal and state departments are having to lay off employees. If you’re looking to travel for grad school, you should know the current state of the Federal Aviation Administration. These are just a few examples of ways that we as men must educate ourselves.
The greatest opportunities lie at the feet of the ever growing Latino community. As leaders on college campuses -and up and coming professionals- we must challenge ourselves to create change in our local communities. Affecting the political atmosphere of your community sometimes can have the biggest impact on those you love, and more times than not, it has little to do with actually being involved in politics. Volunteer as a tutor and stay informed on the current state of education, or give service to a local hospital and make sure your community is informed on healthcare, or if nothing else, simply watch the news with intent, to inform yourself about what is going on.
The road to change is slow, but we all need to be a part of the movement. If we are truly committed to disseminating education, promoting our culture, and serving our community, then we as a brotherhood (both within Sigma Lambda Beta and our community as a whole) must educate ourselves, because there lies all the ability we need, to better the world around us.
Image by Todd Dwyer via Flickr
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