Seeking Latino College Graduates

"“The college readiness numbers of Latinos are dismal,” said Dr. Marisela Marquez, board member of La Casa La Raza, which means, she said, “The House of the People.”"

Pueblo or Gente == People

Raza == Race

What's her Doctorate in?

Congratulations to the participants of this important endeavor. Hey revisionist: don't be a hater. That's what the youth call it when people are "anti" for the sake of creating bad feelings. If you don't care about Latin@ children doing well in school, go read an article about legalizing pot. BTW, vote yes on 19. BH

It's exciting to see the community coming together to find common ground. If you're interested in the Home Language Survey mentioned in the article, check out this new UCLA report that recommends questioning how these are used to identify English Learners: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/201...

"April Lopez, 17, a recent graduate of Dos Pueblos High School, said that although she was born and raised in the states, and English is her primary language, her high school assumed that because of her last name, Spanish was her primary language."

La Casa de La Raza is fooling people once again. Here is a quote from Time magazine--with the link to the the quote provided at the end of the quote: "Armando Vallejo, director of the Casa de la Raza, the community center that housed the alternative academy set up by the boycotters, retorts that abolishing bilingual classes amounts to 'cultural genocide.' "
(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/art...)

The same thing happened to the daughter of a friend of mine. Even *he* was American-born with English as his first (only) language but the school system assumed because of his daughters' name/skin color that she should be taught in Spanish. He had a big fight with the school and pulled her out for a year before they *finally* got it.

What the article does not point out, is that the institutionalized racism is coming from the the supposedly pro-Latino faction of the political left. Whenever one dares to challenge the notion that Spanish-language services are based on the assumption that Mexican people cannot learn English, and that the forces behind this are the Latino organizations and the guilt-ridden white folks who support them, they are labeled as being anti-Mexican.

No: these "pro-Latino" groups will do everything they can to keep promoting the very problem they complain about. I even heard a schoolteacher at a Santa Barbara school board meeting say back in the 1990's that ending bilingual education was akin to "Hitler's Final Solution".

This is the mentality that goes unchallenged for fear of being branded racist.

As usual, the same old failed policies. If they want success, look to those who are succeeding.

This is ridiculous. I was raised in SB and a majority of my Latino friends received free school lunches, free school instruments, free after school care and now they're receiving free or almost free college education. It seems this article is trying to create a race issue where one doesn't need to be. And if a latino student was placed in a below-average english class, her or her parents should have called the school, or at least written a letter demanding she be in an average class or higher. Because they seemingly did nothing about it, they shouldn't now claim it was because of her latino heritage.

The other issue that gets swept under the carpet is the fact that despite the fact that they too have had to face much discrimination, Jews and Asians succeed at high rates in academics and vocation.

This isn't a Latino/White thing.

Given the one-sided nature of this article, I think the quality of the Indy's journalism is worth what we are paying for it.

The journalism of the Indy sounds like highschool work.

"Muggy" lays it on oh-so-thick:

::: "This is ridiculous. I was raised in SB and a majority of my Latino friends received free school lunches, free school instruments, free after school care and now they're receiving free or almost free college education...." [rant continues...]

Yeah.
Sure.
I can tell you have a TON of Latino "friends."

- - -

"Revisionist" doesn't miss a change to bash anything not up to Vdare
( http://vdare.com/ ) standard with this dagger:

::: "I think the quality of the Indy's journalism is worth what we are paying for it."

I'm sure there were resignation letters a-plenty down at the Independent offices after reading that!!

- - -

Special note to "Muggy":

- High School is two words.
- Journalism is reading, which, unless you make noise when your lips move, is usually silent.

Speaking as a first generation American and current college student, I would agree with Bill Clausen that bilingual education is detrimental to the success of young students. It would be much more effective for native Spanish speakers to devote an entire year of study to learning English prior to enrolling in a traditional curriculum. Luckily, my parents were already fluent English speakers by the time I was born or I would have also ended up in remedial classes. The importance of stressing education in elementary school and supporting students through Junior High and High School is fundamental not only for Latino students, but for all students. Institutionalized racism is non existent here in Santa Barbara. Teachers are more than willing to help if asked and tutoring is available. Parents are failing their children, not the schools.

Binky- journalism is the investigation of news or events. And names are capitalized, don't make your comments about the small mistakes, they're not worth reading.
And i do know many latinos and have known many throughout my time living in Santa Barbara. If you see something wrong with the facts in my post, post about that. But because it's my experiences from my life, i doubt you can do that.

@@(#$#*&$))! Sorry for that, but II just had to get that out. Now I feel much better.

La Raza supports drug trafficking, extortion, slavery, and rape through their support of illegal immigration. What happened to empowering the people to better themsleves, instead of asking for hand-outs through social and government programs.

"Raquel Lopez, Executive Director of La Casa De La Raza said that institutionalized racism is the main contributor to the gap in Latino school success."

I think that the promotion of permanent victim status by groups like "casa de la raza" and "pueblo" contribute far more to the education gap.
Once you have professional activists whose job is to stir up discontent and la revolution the activists lose the motivation to help people and instead encourage blaming others as their only solution.

Chato: thank you for your words of support although there is one area where I'm not sure we agree.

You mentioned your parents' fluency in English but you didn't mention their native language/languages. Where we may differ is in the fact that assuming that their language was other than Spanish, you still would have been instructed by the schools in English. If their language was Spanish, then we agree on this point.

Another topic: it is ironic that Vallejo accuses those who disagree with him of "cultural genocide" while he promotes the Spanish Language which was imposed upon the natives in a way that truly amounted to cultural genocide. In the current context, the people who have come here from Mexico/Guatamala/other points south have chosen to be here because they see that the U.S. provides a better way of life.

To compare those of us who say that it is common sense for people to learn the language of their chosen country with those who raped, tortured, and killed people long ago shows the real intent of La Casa de La Raza.

Chato summed it up:

"Parents are failing their children, not the schools."

The only institutionalized racism I see in the Santa Barbara schools is directed against white and Asian students. Look at the shutdown of the GATE program and the anti-"white-privilege" curriculum in schools of education that is reflected in teacher and administrator attitudes.

Some schools are really failing our students and not the parents!

My child was told repeatedly that he would never get into his favorite university and that he was a failure. I volunteered in the classroom each week, took assignments home to work on after hours for the teacher, actively supported PTA. I was working and attending school full time and engaging my family into positive outlets.I did everything on my part as a parent, all while my child was being abused in various forms by his 4th grade teacher. Even with emails admitting the abuse and poor choice of actions from the teacher did the SBSD do anything to end it. The principal stated and I quote "We only have 31 school days left and if at possible staying at ***** with ***** may be in the ***** best interest". The school board and superintendent all ignored the issue at hand. Where is the accountability?

Each student regardless of race should be able to receive an enriching educational experience at school, not be victims of abuse from teachers who should not be teaching.

Here is the secret to Latino success: Stay in school and work hard. Latino students have the same opportunities as everyone else. Government programs aren't the answer.

The only other thing I can think of is that society needs to stop objectifying these people and these students need to be exposed to other points of view besides what they hear at La Casa de la Raza so that *they*--not some advocacy group with a political agenda can chart their futures.

Once again: look at other groups who have also faced racism in the U.S. and ask yourself why *they* have achieved success and realize that contrary to what you may be told, utilizing your intellectual potential does not mean "selling out".

@billclausen - Your continued essentialist notions of people solely based on race (as well as the rest of the drivel seen in this comments section - which simply makes me shake my head in utter disgust in knowing that I live among people with such hopelessly ignorant views) are PRECISELY the reasons places like Casa de la Raza are so vital and necessary.

And I hate to break it to you, but there are poor Jews and poor Asians in the U.S. Jesus...

As a "gringo", I've spent time at Casa de le Raza over the years - and I have had interactions with the people who both work and volunteer there. It is an incredible organization and facility that brings in many different groups to gather within its walls.

"@billclausen - Your continued essentialist notions of people solely based on race"

Huh? As your screen name implies, you're just another angry resentful person with no answers. I exposed the hypocrisy of a mentality that has no solutions--just as you have no solutions. (At least so far)

I on the other hand, have pointed out what works, and don't play the race card on me because you know that's *not* what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a failed, paternalistic approach of victocratic nonsense and I'm tired of seeing people getting lied to and told they are inherently different.

As for you saying you are a "gringo", your race is irrelevant to the discussion. As for whether or not La Casa de la Raza does good things, maybe they do, but they are simply rehashing the same old discussions that have been around year after year after year.

Come up with something besides personal attacks and we'll have a productive conversation.

@billclausen - Oh, give me a break. Using the "model minority" stereotype doesn't make you right. It makes you look like you're from the 1950's.

Exclaiming that Jews and Asians are somehow "success stories" that Latinos could learn from is operating on a level of ignorance that makes it next to impossible to have a fruitful conversation. I'd point out that those wonderful success stories 1) didn't just "happen" overnight and 2) are based on a myriad of other non-race based factors not present in the current situation surrounding Mexican immigrants and Latino citizens - but I doubt you are AT ALL interested in that discussion.

But what REALLY earns my ire is that you besmirch a dedicated and outstanding organization ABOUT WHICH YOU CLEARLY KNOW NOTHING.

You want to have a "constructive conversation"? Educate yourself a bit more before spouting off nonsense.

"didn't just "happen" overnight and 2) are based on a myriad of other non-race based factors not present in the current situation surrounding Mexican immigrants and Latino citizens -"

I'm willing to listen: please provide some examples.

Nowadays, most immigrants - MOST, NOT ALL - who come from Europe or Asia do it for a reason - whether it's family, business or otherwise. They come with resources and a purpose and typically have a skill set that isn't low level labor. (Incidentally, my girlfriend in high school was a first generation U.S. citizen - her parents were from South Korea, and they were VERY poor. In fact, her father later died from undiagnosed lung cancer, as they couldn't afford health care.)

Right now, the situation is such in Mexico, due to a number of factors far too complicated to go into in a comments section of a website, but not the least of which is the decimation of the agricultural base in parts of Mexico in which that sector is vital. Free trade agreements like NAFTA mean local farmers in Mexico can no longer complete with the subsidized imports from the United States in their local markets, so a large part of that labor force is forced to look for work in other sectors and other places - namely, to the north (where the jobs are located). There is a reason that most of these immigrants are looking for work in service based industries - industries that are comparable to the work they left behind in Mexico.

I worked in restaurants when I was in high school (not here, but back in Orange County), and I saw these immigrants working two minimum wage jobs, often commuting on a bus for hours to work, just so they could afford a place in Santa Ana and send some money back home. They worked harder than anyone else for the least amount of money (I typically made more than they did and I was just there to stay out of trouble).

Frankly, I find the overly broad generalizations of their experience offensive. There is no typical immigrant experience, and to paint Jews, Asians, and Latinos with such a broad brush doesn't serve anyone

OK, we're talking about two parts of the same story which is to say their experience in their first country, and then the U.S.

You won't get any argument from me about NAFTA. I heard it pretty much destroyed the farming industry in Mexico. Something about a program called "Elido" (sp?) being gutted. I was leery about NAFTA when all the living U.S. presidents joined at the hip about that one and supported it.

Conditions in Mexico are awful, so bad that people are willing to walk through 120-degree heat to get here.

Where we disagree is in how to approach immigrants when they come here. I have heard all the arguments for multiculturalism and where I draw the line is where people are encouraged *not* to learn the language of the land. Note here that I'm not blaming the immigrants themselves but rather those who claim to represent them. Mexicans, like Jews and Asians, have suffered much in terms of discrimination, and what the Jews and Asians did to arm themselves against this was to become literate in the language of the land. For this reason, slaveowners forbade teaching slaves to read and write. I'm confident that you're aware of all the facts I've presented lest you think I'm talking down to you, but I mention them because some young readers may not know these things, and also, to show you where I'm coming from whether or not we end up agreeing.

I don't know how old you are, but I'm 49, and since you've shared what bugs you, I'll share what bugs me: what I'm tired of is people endlessly searching for the answer to a situation when the answer is obvious. Of course every culture is different, but no matter what country you go to, the people who are financially solvent are those who are literate. Also, the very strength of a country is dependent upon the literacy and skill levels of it's inhabitants.

The problem I see is that people do not want to say "You need to look at what works" to Chicano youth because we've been sold the idea that doing so is an affront to their culture. Yet ironically, if Latino/Chicano/whatever term you feel comfortable using kids do well in school, they face ostracization from other kids of their own race. Yes, I know what I'm talking about because I saw it when I went to Santa Barbara High and dare I say that my best friend in high school (and still my best friend) put up with racism from white kids for being Mexican, and got hassled by Mexican kids because he liked to read and was interesting in musical and artistic endeavors. This last point of Mexican-on-Mexican prejudice is not being discussed in this debate. Hell, even Ferndando Vargas felt Oscar de la Hoya was a vendepatrias.

If one is to leave their country because conditions are so bad that they must, it is incumbent for them to learn the language of their adopted land--which they probably won't do if everything is handed to them in their native tongue.

Cultures may differ, but the rules for success and failure are the same.

According to the National Council of La Raza, the term “La Raza” has its origins in early 20th century Latin American literature and translates into English most closely as “the people,” or, according to some scholars, “the Latino people of the New World.”

The term was coined by Mexican scholar José Vasconcelos to reflect the fact that the people of Latin America are a mixture of many of the world’s races, cultures, and religions. Some people have mistranslated “La Raza” to mean “The Race,” implying that it is a term meant to exclude others. This is an inclusive concept, meaning that Latinos share with all other peoples of the world a common heritage and destiny.
...

Jose Vasconcelos was a Nazi sympathizer.

"Ese olvidado nazi mexicano de nombre José Vasconcelos"

http://www.istor.cide.edu/archivos/nu...

From google language tools

Found in dictionary: Spanish > English.

*
raza
o
noun
+
race
+
colorcast
+
breed
+
strain

Cuando hablamos en terminos de “raza“, me pregunto si estamos hablando de la raza humana, u una raza especifica.

When we speak in terms of race, I ask myself if we're speaking of the human race, or of a specific race.