Hispanic Education Act will close academic gap in NM

Dear Editor,

Recently, state legislators engaged in a public debate concerning the Hispanic Education Act. I found the comments made by several legislators to be ignorant and lacking in understanding of the historical and systemic disenfranchisement of the Hispanic population in this state. It is unbelievable to have legislators purporting to represent our community, questioning the need for a bill that attempts to correct the impact of historical deprivation and inequity.

It is also abhorrent to me that they would even engage in such a debate in a state which is predominantly indigenous and Hispanic and promoted worldwide as multicultural. It is also one of the poorest states in the nation. New Mexico cannot claim to be rich in Hispanic and native cultures and still continue to under serve and under represent the educational and economic needs of these communities. This is cultural exploitation in its worst form and serves only to deny and disclaim responsibility for providing an adequate education and a decent living to these very populations. The reality is that we are not only one of the poorest states but we end up at the bottom of every survey result measuring educational, economic and health attainment.

We, the Hispanic community, strive to leave a legacy of opportunity and advancement for our future generations. It is shameful and a travesty to hear those legislating our future debate the merit of an act to improve the educational gaps of Hispanic students. Their denial that gaps and disparities in education exist serves only to justify their failure to enact legislative agendas which attempt to break the cycle of poverty and resolve the crisis in education and health facing our Hispanic community.

To those legislators who say the legislation would provide special treatment to select groups of students based on ethnicity and to those outrageous comments comparing issues of disparity to freckled kids with glasses and overalls; to those troubled about sending the message that only Hispanics are important and to those who avoided the vote:

I say, you speak out of ignorance and any inaction is tolerance of the status quo. You should know that, yes, it is our particular interest to represent the plight of Hispanics.

However, any individual, student, family or community that experiences disparity or lack of access to opportunities due to color of skin or economic status, is included in our struggle for equality, equity and justice. When we speak of “Hispanics” and address the systemic failure of the educational system to graduate and advance Hispanic children, we are addressing this failure on behalf of every child “left behind” and in most cases, this means that child is a poor child of color.

The issue is not one of Hispanics separating themselves from others. It is about this state and country depriving the Hispanic community of equality, equity, parity and fair play resulting in the lack of access to benefits and opportunities and causing divisions of race, ethnicity and class. Therefore, this country and this state have the obligation and responsibility to correct this history of deprivation and to engage in discussions with our communities in determining the corrective actions. This is precisely what the Hispanic Education Act represents.

Patricia Roybal Caballero
Albuquerque League of United Latin American Citizens Council 34