Latino Children to Benefit from an Additional $3 Million Allocated to English Learners in Illinois: Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
As Illinois slowly transitions into springtime weather, we look forward to the longer days with more sunshine, blooming flowers and fresh changes. Upon reflection however, the Forum is excited to have launched the second cohort of the Multicultural Leadership Academy, which brings together Latino and African American community leaders for intercultural collaboration and leadership building. The academy is the Forum’s initiative to strengthen relations between black and brown communities in Chicagoland for equity for all in Illinois. You’ll hear that slogan, equity for all, more in the months to come, so stay tuned.
The Forum and Latinos in Illinois saw a big victory in March when Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation that reconciles inconsistent legislative language to allocate an additional $3 million in funding for English Learners as part of historic school funding reform. That funding will go to bilingual early childhood education supportive services, including intervention teachers, pupil support, extended day teachers, summer school teachers and core teachers.
Political representation is a primary vehicle for empowerment in the Latino community. And in 2018 it will be vital that we not only get Latinos registered to vote, but that we get them to the polls. As an affiliate of UnidosUS, formerly the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the country, the Forum supports its initiative to register more young people to vote through the Power of 18 campaign. Over 800,000 Latinos will turn 18 this year in the United States and become eligible to vote. The Power of 18 is designed to energize and mobilize the Latino community, especially young Latinos.
On that note, March gave us the Illinois primary election, which saw several pivotal races that will be hotly contested in November and will have a great impact on Latinos in our state:
- Gov. Rauner will face JB Pritzker for the governor’s office
- Democrat Kwame Raoul faces Republican Erika Harold for Attorney General, the state’s chief legal officer and “the people’s lawyer”
- Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, won in a contested race with Sol Flores and Richard Gonzalez for the Democratic nomination in the 4th Congressional District, and he will face Republican Mark Lorch from Riverside. Significantly, this is the only majority Latino district in the Midwest.
It is important that Latinos in Illinois not only learn about these candidates, but also understand the role they play in our community. Because of the importance of the gubernatorial and AG offices, the Forum has already cohosted get-to-know-the-candidate community events for both races. Check out the Forum website to read blogs and see pics of the events, or view the Encuentro gubernatorial event here on CAN TV.
We extend our congratulations all those who ran in the 4th Congressional district and to other Latinos who ran for statewide offices, Jesse Ruiz - who ran for Attorney General, and Susana Mendoza - who was re-elected as State Comptroller. We salute their courage as they exemplify the best in the Latino community.
As a community we must focus on electing strong leaders who will work on issues important to Latino families, regardless of a candidate’s party affiliation. The Forum will continue to find opportunities to partner with organizations to help Latinos make wise and purposeful decisions come November. If there is one major challenge we face, it is that the primaries had such low voter turnout – around 29 percent. The amount of organizing around voter education and registration prior to this year’s primary was great to see, but it’s all for naught if we don’t turnout on Election Day.
In addition to providing voter education, the Forum will continue to highlight issues and policies that directly impact Latinos.
One example will be the annual Latino Unity Day on May 9 in Springfield. The Forum is partnering with organizations such as the Illinois Latino Agenda, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees, among others for the day-long event that includes meetings with public officials, visits with state lawmakers, and press opportunities to highlight pending legislation. Latino Unity Day amplifies the Latino community’s voice in Springfield and spotlights critical policies. Stay tuned for more details on this year’s Latino Unity Day. Click here to RSVP for Latino Unity Day.
Other important events coming soon are the Forum’s 10-year Anniversary Escuchandos, community leader roundtables that will be held in different parts of the state to get a pulse of the Latino community and discuss concerns facing our future.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank and welcome the newest members of the Forum's Executive Committee and staff. The Forum’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors play a critical role in executing the organization’s mission to build the power, influence, and leadership of the Latino community through collective action to transform public policies that ensure the wellbeing of our community. You can find a list of the latest Executive Committee and Board of Directors here. The Forum staff welcomes Shirley Alfaro as Associate Director for Institutional Advancement; Natalia Santillan as a housing policy associate; Rocio Velazquez-Kato as an immigration policy analyst; Jose Marco-Paredes, as an education trainer and communications specialist; and finally Roberto Valdez Jr. as a communications associate.
I would like to leave you with a reminder that with the upcoming November election, we must encourage voter turnout of our friends and family members. Not exercising our power to vote is as detrimental as staying quiet when wrong is being done.
Adelante!