| Where is the Latina/o voice? |
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How influential was the Latino voice in the selection of Michael Bennet as Colorado’s new Senator, filling the void created by Ken Salazar, the president’s choice of Secretary of the Interior? Was there an open ear, or did the melody go in one ear and come out the other? Perhaps, the better question is whether the power brokers believe that there is Latino voice. From the outside looking in, it is questionable.
Governor Bill Ritter’s unequivocal selection for Superintendent Michael Bennett to fill the position of U.S. Senator should not come as a surprise. The outward appearance of a shiny new template at the top created by President elect Barack Obama has filtered down similar to trickle down economics. Let’s hope that this is as far as we have to take this metaphor.
Remember that Obama had been flagrantly criticized as a relatively new kid on the block, a neophyte lacking get-down, drag-out political experience, especially experience that would qualify him for one of the most powerful positions in the world. Bennett comes in with even less experience; but somehow has caught the ear of some prominent politicians.
Bennett has been touted as a new kind of leader, a collaborator with an ability to create conditions for dialogue; however, children of color, especially Spanish speaking children, the future bi-illiterates of Denver, continue to dismally fail in the school system. Bennett is somewhat of an illusionist; he has managed to create an illusion that results are somewhere in sight. Sympathizers argue that educational reform is on the move in DPS. The data based approach to teaching does not seem to have found the fulcrum point between the utilization of data and implementing teaching strategies that will fill the voids experienced by each child.
Let’s not exclude the option that unconsciously teachers might be teaching to the CSAP tests for economic reasons, playing musical chairs with those “high-risk” kids, and shuffling them around like a new deck of cards. Many of these children are victims of poverty and engrained prejudice that can easily be transformed into overt forms of “blaming the victim.”
Bennett has eradicated the inefficiencies like a good businessman. To the chagrin of many, no school was immune from cost/benefit analysis. He successfully provided opportunities for charter schools to occupy space in public sector buildings and help balance the budget. After all, when the system is not at full capacity, someone has to pay for the empty spaces. As a sacred cow, the value of efficiency is seldom questioned, especially when the books are balanced. The litmus test and the results of this shuffling process will be tested after Bennett leaves; therefore, relinquishing him of any guilt, should the dismal numbers continue. One has to ask whether or not this comes at the expense of critical values like educational justice and democracy.
What is disheartening is that Senator Ken Salazar’s vacancy was not filled by a Latina/o. The only voice that could be heard publically was Zee Ferrufino’s. Believe me, I support Senator Salazar. I think that he will rise further to the top as a Vice Presidential candidate, or maybe the Latino communities first real contender for President. One has to wonder how influential he was in the guv’s decision. There are photographs of the tripartite that is Senator Salazar, Governor Ritter and you guessed it, Michael Bennett during the presidential elections like peas in a pod. I would like to have been a fly on the wall during the intimate conversations that took place in the inner circle.
As one peruses the long list of candidates who had thrown their hats in the ring, only three Latinos were on Ritter’s list, John Salazar, Henry Solano and Polly Baca. Since Ritter’s essential criteria was not political experience, although the aforementioned three candidates had solid experience playing politics; there is a litany of other Latina/o candidates that could have at least been put on the list, for example, Denver Councilmen Rick García and Paul D. López. Incidentally, no Latina/o made the short list. One has to wonder if they were serious contenders or if with the snap of the fingers, abracadabra took place, first we see them; then we don’t.
For serious consideration to have happened there has to be a unified Latino voice in the Denver and Colorado communities, and that mis amigos is sorely lacking. It has been lacking for quite some time. What is equally perplexing is that La Raza’s labor and hard work was an instrumental force in putting many politicos into office; but the paybacks have been miniscule. Perhaps, patronage politics is a one-way street for the Latina/o; give but receive nothing in return. Members of umpteen organizations, hired political guns and invaded Denver during the last voting season, representing a host of political constituents, clamoring for entrance into political doors, requesting speaking engagements and hosting grandiose fund-raisers. But when the final count came down, La Raza was left hanging.
We have only ourselves to blame. We can continue to be the political penny pinchers as millions of political bucks flows in and out of Denver, leaving a mere pittance at our doorstep; or we can step to the plate and take a stand.
Ramón Del Castillo, Ph.D. is an Independent Journalist.
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