Moving forward, but remembering those left behind

This is an exciting time to be a Latino student at Columbia. Latinos are currently the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the country. As a result, we command near $1 trillion in purchasing power. Because of our growing role in the United States, many members of our community have launched successful careers and made astonishing achievements in the arts, the sciences, politics, and business.

Ralph Alvarez, for example, migrated from communist Cuba to climb the corporate ladder and become CEO of the largest fast food chain in the world, McDonald’s. Jennifer Lopez left the boogie-down Bronx to top the charts with hit singles and music videos on MTV. And, more recently, Sonia Sotomayor escaped the projects and now dons a black robe, sitting in one of the highest existing judicial positions and proving what it means to be a wise Latina.

These individuals’ accomplishments are extraordinary, and their contributions to American culture are significant. All together, they reflect the advancements our community has made since escaping the poverty of Latin America and the Caribbean. Many Latinos either know firsthand or have heard family members lament about the economic problems and social injustices that plague our nations of origin today. For this reason, it’s incredible how far Latino-Americans and Latino immigrants have come to make a decent living in this country. Our accomplishments demonstrate that we are hardworking, family-oriented people who will seize available opportunities and who will serve our country if we are needed.

Although we will be celebrating our community’s successes at Columbia this October, we must still acknowledge the difficult challenges that lay ahead. Our men, for instance, are roughly three times more likely to be imprisoned than attend college. Our workers continue to be paid significantly less than their white counterparts, and our youth still have the highest teen pregnancy rate of any minority group. Literacy rates within our community are some of the lowest among all minority groups. These are all social issues that Columbia University must address in order for its Latino students to continue their progress into the future.

Some Latino leaders are already creating meaningful change within their communities. Rutgers professor Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, for instance, founded LEAP Academy—a New Jersey charter school that admits mostly minority students who face challenges in pursuing higher education. This program offers a top-notch college preparation curriculum to all its students by lengthening the average school schedule by two hours and extending the school year by 20 days. In addition, Bonilla-Santiago has organized college and career fairs to further encourage her students to pursue higher education. All of these actions have helped increase the disproportionately low number of Latino and African-American students currently attending universities.

As Latino students at Columbia, we need to brainstorm practical solutions like professor Bonilla-Santiago did in order to create lasting change within our community. That’s why I suggest that Columbia’s Latino organizations collaborate with similarly marginalized groups such as the African-American and queer communities to develop programming that addresses issues of discrimination and inequality. With the collective efforts of these organizations, we can raise awareness about the aforementioned problems to administrative officials and force them to acknowledge the issues that Latino students everywhere face. More importantly, such an intercultural collaboration will legitimize the social problems confronting Latinos, enabling others to understand that these problems require urgent attention.

In addition, minority groups at Columbia should try to form creative partnerships with local service organizations in order to improve the plight of our respective cultural communities. The administration could support this objective by offering workshops and instructional seminars that teach students how to effectively respond to the call for civic action.

The theme of this year’s Latino Heritage Month is “Es Pa’lante Que Vamos,” which loosely translates to “we move forward.” This October, let’s join to celebrate our achievements and rejoice in our successes, but, more importantly, let’s also remember that there’s plenty more work to be done. Even though Latinos move forward, let’s remember not to leave any students behind.

The author is a Columbia College junior majoring in political science and Latin American studies. He is the chairman of the Latino Heritage Month Committee of Columbia College.