June 27, 2001
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Let’s Close the Hispanic Educational Divide
T he P ortland O bserve «
I work as a Youth and Family
A dvocate for the Oregon C oun
cil for Hispanic Advancem ent at
B innsm ead M iddle School in
so u th e a st P o rtlan d . The s tu
dents at Binnsm ead affection
ately know me as the “ Spanish
guy” and Latino parents know
me as m aestro, or teacher in En
glish.
In my profession, it is easy to
see there is a great divide here in
the C ity o f Roses. There are
people who have access to suc
cess here in Portland, and there
are people who are given public
in stitu tio n s who cannot serve
them, and public servants who can
not speak their language.
If we as Portlanders really want
to create ajust and democratic city,
we need to assess its current fail
ures. For those o f us who do not
speak a second language, this as
sessment may be hard to develop.
I hope this anecdote provides for a
richer understanding o f why our
society sets up Latinos for failure
instead o f success.
Recently, a young man of 14
stepped into my office. He didn’t
inquire about college counseling
or help on homework Instead, he
asked me if he knew where he could
start working. He told me his older
sister, who used to attend Marshall
High School, dropped out. She left
school to start working two jobs to
pay the rent and put food on the
table. He also told me that his
m other and father both work full
time jobs. Everyone in the family
makes minimum wage and the
threat o f bankruptcy is always
present.
He told me he wants to stay in
school, but he cannot afford to.
This is the reality that so many
o f our Latino brothers and sisters
face. Latinos work the toughest
jobs and get paid the least. Their
inability to speak English inhibits
them from filing tax returns and
receiving heath care. In many in
stances, they pay double the taxes
and receive little or no social ser
vices. Without a good education
and an ability to speak English,
they are confined to this destruc
tive “circle.” To keep off the streets,
many have no time for getting edu
cated.
Education is not a luxury but an
inherent right We must change the
laws o f Portland to ensure that right
exists. A living wage of $ 10.00 an
hour would allow parents to pay
bills, participate in theirchildren’s
education, and spend more time
with their families New jobs for
bilingual adults in public educa
tion and health care would ensure
accessibility to our public insti
tutions and decrease unemploy
ment.
In short, this goes beyond a
Latino issue; it describes the tac
tics o f divide and conquer war
fare. If our neighbors are treated
Looking f
on
without justice and we do not speak
up, then we invite the same injustice
upon ourselves at a later date. As
long as we articulate the us/them
mentality, politicians will continue
to divide the multicultural majority
whose interests are the same, and
give welfare to the very rich.
If you are interested in giving a
greater voice to the Latino popula
tion o f Portland, give me a call at
503/248-7909.
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Father Says 11-year-old Son Can
Live with Stepfather in United States
( a p > the country.
If Havana denies an exit
Y u s n i e 1
The boy had lived almost all visa to Yusniel, he will stay in
Hernandez, 11, ap his life with Cordova, and Cuba with his birth father.
pears calm despite all would
that is miss his half sister
Although Yusniel knows his
happening: his mother died last Giselle if the 4-year-old goes
mother died, he is excited by
weekend, he has moved in with to the United States without the possibility of living with
his birth father, and the step him, Hernandez said.
his ste p fa th e r in M iam i,
Piense: Su hijo es inteligente,
father he lived with for nearly
But Yusniel’s trip to Miami
Hernandez said.
saludable y encabeza la lista
a decade wants him to live
is far from certain.
iselle, meanwhile,
para ir a la universidad. Le
with him in the United States.
The communist government
lives with her aunt
encanta la trayectoria que su
Y usniel’s stepfather, Dr.
has not commented on the
in a com m unity
c a rre ra h a to m a d o . Está
Leonel Cordova, made a dra case since Gonzalez’s death
west of Havana. The girl does
haciendo muchas de las cosas
matic defection to the United
and there has been no indica not know that her mother his
que planeó y hasta otras que no había planeado. Vivir
States last year after aban tion whether authorities will dead and speaks with her fa
la vida en plenitud es fácil cuando tiene una familia que
doning a Cuban medical mis grant the authorization needed ther in Miami several times a
lo respalda American Family Mutual Insurance Llame
sion in Zimbabwe, and now
for Giselle and Yusniel to leave week, said Tania Cordova,
ahora mismo y platique con nuestros agentes amables.
lives in Miami.
Cuba.
who is Cordova’s sister.
Cordova had been working
on g etting U.S. visas for
Y usniel, Y usniel’s mother
Comprobará por qué constantemente nos mantenemos
Rosalba Gonzalez, and a 4-
en el rango A+ (Superior, según A. M. Best, la autoridad
year-old daughter the couple
Been Overchared For A Repair, Moving Traffic Tickets,
en la puntuación de agencias de seguros. Después,
had later.
vaya...sueñe...planee.
Usted decida lo que haga
Tried To Return A Defective Product, No Will
But Gonzalez died in a mo
enseguida; nosotros estaremos aquí para ayudarle.
torcycle accident in Havana
Sunday and Yusniel went to
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live with his birth father,
Lazaro H ernandez, whom
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Gonzalez divorced nine years
Preventative Legal
Traffic Tickets
ago.
Service
1RS Audit
Hernandez, a 33-year-old
And More
gardener, said that he had
given his ex-wife legal autho
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rization to take the boy with
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fore she died and that he would
Kareem
Or
Sanja
(503)
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let the boy live with Cordova
Sanjafaye@Aol.Com
in M iam i if Cuba grants
Yusniel permission to leave
H
avana
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sted tiene una familia que lo respalda