MARCH 15, 2019, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
KT on KMUZ: On-air with founders
of the Latino Action Committee
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
In 2018, 18 graduating se-
niors at McNary High School
strode into the next chapter of
their lives with $150 scholar-
ships from Keizer’s Latino Ac-
tion Committee, a small group
of local leaders looking to pro-
vide a megaphone to Latino
voices.
For City Councilor Ro-
land Herrera, it was a moment
worth savoring. Not simply be-
cause he’d been able to put a
little good back into the world,
but because of who else was in
attendance – every single other
city councilor.
“That was the best I’d ever
felt about Keizer coming to-
gether and, as a former city
employee, it was really, really
needed. We’re going to do bet-
ter yet, but we’re working on
it,” Herrera said.
This year, the LAC will do
it all again on May 9, and the
group already has the backing
of a $2,000 matching grant
from a community donor.
Herrera and Rev. Jose
Dominguez of Luz Del Valle
joined me in the studio Friday,
March 8, for an on-air inter-
view to talk about the work of
the LAC and their hopes for the
future of the organization. You
can listen to the whole segment
on the Keizertimes Facebook
page, but the conversation is
one we wanted to preserve in
print as well.
The scholarships are one of
the many ways that lift up the
local Latino community, but
the gesture fi ts into the goals of
the LAC in other ways.
“I spoke with Chief [John]
Teague [of the Keizer Police
Department] and expressed
concern about the need for of-
fi cers who are Latino or speak
Spanish. He’s said there aren’t
any candidates out there and
we want to change that. How
can students begin to engage in
that. We believe that there are
qualifi ed, skilled and educated
Latinos for these jobs,” Domin-
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Two of the Latino Action Committee Founders, City Councilor Roland Herrera and Rev. Jose
Dominguez, in the KMUZ studio Friday, March 8.
a grant supplied by the city, the
guez said.
Making sure McNary stu- LAC provided lunch for the
dents know that there is a next month’s meeting.
The LAC invited Teague
community behind them that
and represen-
believes
in
tatives of the
them
and
Oregon State
wants them to
Tune in to KMUZ
Police and De-
succeed is the
(100.7 or 88.5 FM)
partment of
real goal of
at 8 a.m. the second
Public Safety
the scholarship
Friday of every month
Standards and
program. That
for discussions with
Training
to
extends to the
Keizer’s newsmakers.
speak at Luz
families of the
Del Valle in an
graduates, who
effort to bridge
are sometimes
Past broadcasts are
the seeming
the fi rst in
available in podcast
divides
that
their family to
form at the KMUZ
permeate
rela-
achieve that
website, kmuz.org.
tions between
milestone.
Latino com-
“We want
munities and
to help the
families look at their son or public safety organizations.
When looking for a space to
daughter in a different way,”
host the scholarship ceremony,
Dominguez said.
The members of the LAC the Keizer Civic Center was
aren’t limiting their work to chosen specifi cally because it
students, or even Latinos, either. would mean attendees had the
Last year, when the Keizer City opportunity to change their
Council urged the leadership view of what is done in the
of Keizer United, a networking building.
“People say that Latinos
group for nonprofi ts, to fi nd
other ways to supply meals than only visit city hall to pay their
Foundation Series, See-Through
tickets or get their water turned
back on,” Herrera joked.
“We want to be a solution to
the problems some of our par-
ents had. They didn’t have the
information. [It] is a blessing to
know and move in both cul-
tures. We’re able to clarify and
give direction,” added Domin-
guez.
During recent discussions
about growth in Keizer, the
city’s development director
reached out to the LAC to in-
volve Keizer’s Latino commu-
nity. Together, the group set up
bilingual meetings to receive
more diverse input.
The LAC hosted a cele-
bration of Hispanic Heritage
Month in September 2018, but
Herrera wanted it to be more
than just a party.
“At that moment, LAC was
sharing what we want to do
and we used it as a forum for
volunteerism. We asked them
to come on board, get on [city]
boards and committees and go
to city council meetings,” Her-
rera said. “One of my goals in
Keizer is to bring folks into
the city that haven’t been in-
volved before. Diversity is not
a bad word and there’s nothing
wrong with having multicul-
tural people at the top.”
More important, he said, is
the effect of minority repre-
sentation refl ected in civic life.
When a child can see them-
selves in a role, other opportu-
nities come into focus.
“When young Latinos have
Latino teachers, they excel,”
said Dominguez.
For all the good the group is
trying to do, Herrera said read-
ing the applications of student
scholars is bittersweet.
“Some of the letters the stu-
dents write … about having to
work [to provide for the family]
or hating summer because you
have to work. We grew up in
this system and knowing what
it’s like to go to a bunch of dif-
ferent schools. I know what it
felt like to feel alone,” Herrera
said. “One of our students end-
ed up with a full ride to Stan-
ford [University]. My heart was
so proud. We are moving in the
right direction, but we have to
keep at it.”
Donations to the LAC
scholarship fund can be sent
to: LDV-LAC, 606 Dearborn
Avenue .E., Keizer, OR, 97303.
Those with concerns the LAC
might be able help with or
looking for information about
the LAC can call 503-689-
1652. LAC meetings are held
at 9 a.m. the third Thursday of
every month at Luz Del Valle.
Quilt Show
moves to
Armory
Mid-Valley Quillt Guild
(MVQG) will transform the
Salem Armory into a display
space for its biennial quilt
show in a new location on
April 18, 19 and 20.
Show hours are 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. on April 18 and 19, and
10 to 4 p.m. on April 20.
Marge
McCanse, the
year’s featured quilter, and
her daughters will provide a
multi-generational presenta-
tion on quilting, fabric and
pattern design and their ex-
periences and careers in tex-
tile industry.
This year’s raffl e quilt,
“Enchanted Bouquets” was
pieced and hand appliqued
by guild members including
Joyce Bolles from Keizer and
quilted by Cynthia Shaw of
Keizer and is valued at $6,000.
The show will include
vendors from across the re-
gion offering fabrics, patterns,
kits, a basket walk and silent
auction. Each attendee will
receive a raffl e ticket the Bas-
ket Walk chock full of local
food, fl oral and fun. Addition-
al raffl e tickets will also be on
sale. Raffl e tickets are $1 each
or six for $5.
The Armory is located at
2310 17th Street N.E., in Sa-
lem.
Although this event is
sponsored by the Mid-Valley
Quilt Guild, Fabracadabra the
Magic of Quilting will high-
light the work of local and
regional quilters as our fi rst
quilt show open to non-guild
members. Quilts and quilted
items will be on display for
sale in a variety of categories
including traditional, modern
and art quilt.
MVQG is an organization
dedicated to all aspects of the
quilting art. Money raised is
used to fund grants offered to
non-profi ts engaged in pro-
moting quilting, especially
focused on those involving
youth
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