Minneapolis School District Latino parents frustrated with district policy

Enclosed is a post I made to the E-Democracy Minneapolis Issues email list today. It has been adapted slightly. The issues are local, but they are relevant in Many urban school districts today.

I know that both sides, the Minneapolis School district and Latino parents, have some very good points, and both sides are lead by very good people. I'm friends with people on both sides. But there still seems to be a lack of understanding of why Latino parents are so frustrated with the Minneapolis School District (MPS) , and how frustrated they are, to the point that they will leave the district at the same rate that African American parents did before, unless something changes soon.

Of course we all know how devastating to MPS loosing more students could be. More cuts, more layoffs, more closed schools. Most board members, if not all, are trying very hard to understand this frustration, and I think are trying to address the issues presented by Latino parents. But unfortunately they don't seem to be able to get through to the parents. On the other hand I think some Latino parents don't have all the information (we'll attempt in La Prensa de Minnesota soon to provide that info in Spanish) and they might've been provided some misinformation.

I've talked to and LISTENED to enough public officials to understand that it's not the same to be a school or education activist than to govern. Once you govern you have the responsibility of doing the right thing, while having to listen to many different and conflicting special interests, and you have the obligation to balance budgets. That's not easy.

Although I tend to agree with Caty's sentiment that we should all work to a solution to our schools that benefits all kids instead of each single group, the reality is that there are some issues that only affect some groups and not others. We all want a better economy, an affordable and quality health care system, we want to own our homes, and we want our kids to get an adequate education so that they will have a better life than ours. Those are universal.

But most African American, Latino, Native and Asian people know what it's like to be treated as inferiors because of the color of their skin, and are going to be more sensitive to this issue. Immigrants struggle with learning English at exactly the same rate as Scandinavian and Eastern European immigrants to Minnesota did at the beginning of the twentieth century. Latino parents will push for programs that will teach their kids English, because they are more affected by this. Other kids in MPS don't have this challenge.

After LISTENING, to Burroughs parents, I think this is how many of them think: Contrary to what the KKK whining ranters in the Star Tribune comments section say, Latino parents desperately want their kids to learn English as quickly as possible so they have a real chance at the American dream. These immigrant parents are much more American in spirit than the anonymous Star Tribune cowards. They have risked it all, some of them their lives, to give their kids a better life in the US. That's true love for America. They work too many hours and don't have the time to learn English adequately, like Swedish and German immigrants did before them, but will do anything to see their
kids learn English.

Some found what they needed in Burroughs. You know how hard it was for them to find Burroughs? How much they risked to find it? But they did, and know they feel it's being taken away. That's the way some white parents at Burroughs feel. They didn't risk as much to get there, but they found the right school for their kids. And now they feel that's being taken away. Anybody would be frustrated beyond belief over this.

Senator Patricia Torres Ray eloquently stated in a recent letter: "Latino parents are opposed to this change, arguing that the district is creating ghettos by assigning all ELL kids to the 4 worst schools in the district" I have to say I have to agree with that statement. What parent would feel good about that?

But here's the other side of the story. A district that's lost too many kids and had to lay off too many teachers. A district that has made a true commitment to provide all of their kids a better education. Too many parents and kids at MPS schools don't have the type of school that Burroughs is. Too many kids and parents have had their schools closed. Too many parents and kids don't feel safe in their MPS school. Too many kids are two years behind in reading and math. Too many kids are not graduating from High School. And it's just about everybody's fault at MPS: Parents, teachers, principals, administrators, board members, voters, even if they all point fingers at each other.

But MPS is finally doing something about it. The reality is that all the kids currently enrolled at Burroughs Native Language Program (can some one explain this name to me? I think kids are learning English not native languages, but I digress) will continue in the program until they move on to middle school. Also the demand for the program is going down every year at Burrows. Why?

I just got a letter form MPS board member Chris Stewart that said: "In the 2007-2008 school year only 15 Latino families selected the program, while a minimum of 26 are
needed. For 2008-2009 there were 10 Latino families that selected NLL at Burroughs. When eight of them were contacted only two opted to remain at Burroughs while six chose Windom." If this is true, what are we arguing about here?

It also seems that a number of African American parents that live close to Burroughs want the programs offered at Burroughs. Shoudn't they have a right to choose what's best for their kids too?

MPS needs to do more and more, with less and less money. Tough to do. I don't have too many answers here, but I hope I presented both sides. I will continue to listen. I hope both MPS and Latino parents will truly listen to each other. Because all of our kids educations in Minneapolis are at stake
here.

I also wanted to address Jay Clark's comment about Chris Stewart not being at the meeting. Jay is a good guy, who has worked tirelessly to help the Latino community. And I thank him for that. But his implying that only Tom Madden, Pam Costain, Lydia Lee, and Carla Bates, Patricia Torres Ray and Senator Linda Berglin where at the meeting, so they care but Chris Stewart doesn't care because he wasn't there, is simply not true. I recently disagreed with Chris on this forum, over the way he seemed to have approached this issue and about integration.

But I know Chris well enough to know he does care about the Latino community and has been a strong defender of the NLL program. We might disagree on how to get there. But Chris is one of the hardest workers on the MPS board and contrary to his occational media image, he spends almost all his board time, quietly and effectively working to improve education for all kids. I think that attempts by some to divide Latinos and African Americans to get whatever their goals are for MPS is not going to work. We have the same problems. Low test scores and low graduation rates. The only difference is some Latino kids need a little bit more help learning English.

Interview with Alberto Monserrate about the Recession in Minneapolis

Here's an interview I gave last April some of you might find Interesting.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5611-Minneapolis-Tech-Culture-Examiner~y2009m4d27-Interview-with-Alberto-Monserrate-about-the-Recession-in-Minneapolis

Ok I have to talk about Michael Jackson too

Amazing the reaction to Michael Jackson's death in Latino community in US and Latin America. Univision TV network non stop shows on Michael Jackson. Talk about how he was accepted by Latinos as well as any Latino artist. Lots of talk in main stream media about Jacksons cross over to white audiences, but his cross over to Latino market amazing too. Our radio station, Minneapolis La Invasora 1400 1470, lots of talk about El Rey de Pop.

I anticipate it will get a lot of coverage in our newspaper La Prensa de Minnesota and our weekly magazine Vida y Sabor.

I was not the bigguest fan, but have good memories from the eighties from parties with his music.

Update on Cara a Cara Show on Gay pride

An update form the Cara a Cara talk show yesterday on Gay pride. I promised an update on the calls to the show. Amazingly we had 100% calls supportive of gay rights and gay marriage. One very moving call from the mom of a a teenage boy who's gay, asking for acceptance, and compassion from the community for gay teenagers. Things have changed. I can't imagine what the reaction to the show would've been five years ago.

My guests Juan Carlos Alanis Publisher of newspaper La Prensa de Minnesota and Mario Villega an AIDS and STD health activist gave us a lot of insight on what it's like to be a Latino gay man in Minnesota. When I asked Mario what was the main issue in the Minnesota Latino gay community, I was told that immigration issues and AIDS were the issues he heard people concerned about.

Will go to Minneapolis Gay Pride parade on Sunday, when there will be stonger than ever participation in the parade from the Minnesota Latino gay community.

Podcast of the show will be posted soon in www.lainvasora1400.com. Sorry only Spanish version.

Latino Gay Pride: The untold story about Latino tolerance

Today I will be talking in my radio talk show Cara a Cara (in Minnesota AM 1400 1470 and lainvasora1400.com) at 2pm CST about gay pride in the Minnesota Latino community and gay marriage. It will be interesting to hear what our on air calls will be like.

There has been lots of discussion about how the last gay marriage referendum in California was voted down by Latino and African American voters. It's assumed that Latinos and African Americans are homophobic and that they're not ready to support gay marriage.

Republicans in 2004 banked their Latino voter strategy on getting out the vote of Latino evangelical voters. Many Latino evangelical churches preached that George Bush was against gay marriage and against abortion and that Democrats basically would kill babies and destroy the sanctity of marriage. This was a successful strategy then, and it got George Bush enough Latino voters to win reelection.

The Anti-abortion anti gay marriage strategy did not work with Latino voters in 2008. It was all about the economy and comprehensive immigration reform. Latinos were not thinking much about wedge issues in 2008. They were part of the winning majority for Obama.

But something else is happening in the Latino community. Latinos are becoming more tolerant of homosexuality, gay rights and may soon be ready to support gay marriage not only in the US, but in Latin America.

A friend of mine who is a Latino Leader in Minneapolis, and openly gay, recently talked to me about his recent visit to Monterrey, Mexico and to Mexico City. He left Mexico in the 90's when he was still in the closet. He spent years in Mexico trying to first deny to himself that he was gay, and then spending years in the closet, afraid that anybody would find of his visits to underground gay bars in conservative Monterrey. He then decided to move to the US, Partly looking for better economic opportunities, as most immigrants, but also partly looking to free himself from Mexican intolerance.

In his recent visit to Monterrey and Mexico City he saw a different Mexico. He saw that gay bars were no longer underground, There was a lot more of them, and they were bigger. Now gay bars were also visited by heterosexual couples. He was able to visit friends and relatives with his partner openly, without having to hide their relationship. His mom and relatives completely accepted his partner.

My friend also told me of his openly lesbian friend who works as a Mexican diplomat. She recently laughed over a question she was asked in Minnesota, about how she hid her lesbian partner in order to keep her diplomatic job. She said that she felt more comfortable being open in Mexico City now than she did in Minnesota. She doesn't hide her relationsip anymore in Mexico.

In Peru many gay men used to stay in the closet, marry women, have children, and spend their lives expressing their sexuality in underground gay bars. They risked being attacked or even killed if discovered leaving one of those bars. Now Lima Peru is filled of gay bars that are no longer underground. My Peruvian, Puertorican, Mexican and US Latino gay friends openly talk about their sexuality in Fecebook in front of hundreds of heterosexual friends and family without any hint of fear.

About 5 years ago our weekly magazine magazine Vida y Sabor published our first ever story dedicated to gay pride. Our readers are mainly working class immigrant Latinos. We got many furious calls and letters. There was talk about picket lines and boycotts. But there were also many Latino business people that were in the closet or that secretly supported gay rights that supported us and increased their advertising with us.

This week we published another gay pride edition. Not a single call of protest. No talk of boycotts. Just about every Latino GLBT person I know in Minnesota is now out of the closet. They invite their straight friends and family to their anniversary parties. Blue and white collar gay Latinos are now gaining more and more supporters for gay rights and marriage, because they are telling their heterosexual friends and families they are gay.

I was struck when I went to see the movie Milk, when Harvey Milk said that everybody who was gay would come out of the closet, and if they didn't they should be outed. I'm against people being involuntarily outed. But Harvey's point was that as more and more people found out that their relatives and friends were gay, more people would support BLBT rights. Latinos are very family oriented. As more and more Latinos come out of the closet their friends and family will become more tolerant of gay rights, and yes eventually gay marriage.

Cristina, the Oprah Winfrey of Spanish television in Univision recently had a show on Gay and Lesbian grandpas and grandmas. It was inspired by a gay grandpa character in a very popular Spanish soap opera. Gay grandpa in a Spanish Univision soap? Unheard of ten years ago.

I'm curious how the party of Senator Larry Craig, Senator John Ensign and Governor Mark Sanford will deal with the issue of the sanctity of marriage in 2010. But gay marriage is no longer the Republicans best hope to attract Latino voters.

Just imagine how powerful a stronger GLBT Latino political coalition would be in cities like Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. Both communities are suffering intolerance and political forces that use the communities as wedge issues. A Strong Latino and GLBT coalition would be a powerful force that could eventually legalize gay marriage and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

I will be talking today about gay marriage and gay pride in Spanish radio to Latino blue collar listeners. Unheard of five years ago. I'll let you know how it went.