Jason,
It was like old times.
Last weekend Chris, Cynthia and I were in a rental car driving from town to town, meeting new people, eating fast food and learning the stories that inspire and move us forward.
Only this time, outside of Texas.
I had been invited to speak to the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) in Chicago. A huge honor, and I was excited to meet the thousands of young people who were there to share their vision for the future of the country. But, not having spent much time in the Midwest, I was also interested in going to places I hadn't been before.
Friday, we drove from Chicago to Milwaukee and spent time with about 20 students from the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). The conversation was powerful — we talked about anything that any student wanted to raise, very often in personal terms.
One man shared with us his challenge with opioid addiction and recovery. A young mother talked about raising her 10-year old daughter and attending school at the same time. She shared that she was having a hard time getting a job, "not even at a Starbucks!" because of a prior conviction on her record. Another man pursuing software programming talked about what it was like to lose a good friend to gun violence.
In these — and in so many other stories I heard — I learned about how tough circumstances didn't have to define opportunity and possibility. It became clear just how crucial the access to a great education at MATC was to their ability to transcend obstacles and overcome challenges in their lives.
After the formal part of the meeting, I talked to a man who was starting his second business. We talked about next steps, including access to capital and attracting and retaining the talent necessary to ensure this next venture did even better than the first. This then led to a conversation with the woman standing next to him, who is starting a career as a recording engineer, explaining to me how difficult it is to break into the industry in Chicago. So she's going to invest the time at MATC and her talent in Milwaukee to make it big at home.
Everyone talked about how transformational MATC was for them and what it meant for the larger community, where 35,000 attend one of the four MATC campuses.
I left impressed, ever more convinced of the extraordinary value of community and technical colleges.
From Milwaukee we drove to Madison, the sun beginning to set as we pulled into town. Coming from El Paso, it's so amazing and unusual and beautiful to see the frozen ponds and lakes with people skating, playing hockey, just having fun outside. The snow banked up on the side of the road so you feel like you're driving through tunnels at times.
We were met by Eliana and Isaac, students who organized a town-hall style conversation. We had the good problem of more students than chairs so we were able to broadcast the meeting to a couple of overflow rooms on campus.
The conversation was intense and wide-ranging. Climate. Health care. Middle East. Economy. Democracy. On this point, everything seemed to come together for me. Because it's hard to see how we address any of the super huge challenges before us — like keeping the planet from warming another 1.5 degrees Celsius — without a fully engaged, informed democracy. We need the genius, talent and participation of everyone, especially young people.
So we talked about removing the barriers to participation — voter I.D. Laws, gerrymandering, PACs and Super PACs, the electoral college, etc — and reminded ourselves of the responsibility to own this democracy together. To find common cause and common purpose, to remind ourselves that we are the government, to act as though the future depends on us, because it does.
We stayed to talk individually, take pictures, learn some of the secrets of Wisconsin. Where can I get cheese curds?
An hour later we were in Edgerton at the largest Culver's in the world. With help from Bella who took our order, I left with a bag of cheese curds, crinkle-cut fries, cheddar dipping sauce and a chocolate malt. Luckily I had brought some lactaid with me from El Paso.\
The next day I had the chance to join thousands of young people from across the country at the USHLI convention — the motto was "Defend Democracy: Aquí y Ahora."
Got to listen to a lot of great speakers, from Mayor Yulin from San Juan, to Rep. Celina Villanueva, to Congresswoman Deb Haaland to USHLI president Dr. Juan Andrade, and most special of all I got to spend some time talking with Dolores Huerta.
I had an opportunity to address the audience, choosing to speak about El Paso's story and the U.S.-Mexico border. The civil rights stands that we are making today that are inspired by the great civil rights victories of the generations before ours.
And how, whether back then or today, those civil rights struggles are almost always led by the youngest Americans. They are the ones who galvanize public opinion, command the conscience of the country, and ultimately force people in positions of public trust to make the important decisions on our behalf. Whether it was the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of more than 50 years ago — or the effort to end family separation, close down the Tornillo children's detention camp or free Dreamers from fear of deportation today —— the politicians may get credit, but it is the young who ensure the change happens.
We had time to stay around for a while afterwords, catch up with friends we've met along the way (go Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies!), meet new ones, and then drive back to the airport to catch a plane to El Paso.
A short trip, but an inspiring one for me — lots of good people out there, doing amazing work and ensuring this country lives up to its promise. Thanks to everyone who took the time to say hello and welcome us!
Gracias,
Beto
No comments:
Post a Comment