Latino influences on labor, education run deep
YSUT recognized Hispanic Heritage Month with a timely “Truth Talks” conversation on the influence of Latinos on not only the American labor movement, but public education as well.
“From organizing strikes to demanding fair wages and humane working conditions, Hispanic labor leaders and workers have played a central role in advancing labor rights across the country,” said NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham. “Beyond the school walls, Hispanic leaders and communities have long fought for educational equity, bilingual education and access to higher education for all students, regardless of immigration status or socioeconomic background.”
The latest episode in NYSUT’s Truth Talks series features American Federation of Teachers Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, the first Latina elected as an officer of the national education union affiliate. She was interviewed by Brandon Mendoza, a member of the Fayetteville Manlius Teachers Association.
DeJesus started her career as a paraprofessional and later became an early childhood educator. Her path to activism began when one of her daughters became ill during a school construction project. DeJesus became a whistleblower and publicly exposed the toxic environment.
“As long as there have been Latino educators, there have been pioneering bilingual and multicultural education programs that enrich classrooms nationwide,” DeJesus said, noting that too many barriers still exist for students who are dealing with de facto segregation in underresourced schools. Immigrants face additional barriers.
“NYSUT is committed to supporting all our communities,” said Abraham.
Mendoza, who teaches English language learners, has had to come up with resources and a protocol for students in case a family member is taken away. “A big part of my job as an educator is to relieve some of that fear and make them know that there are people who will come to their aid should bad things happen,” Mendoza said.
Truth Talks is an initiative of NYSUT’s Many Threads, One Fabric project which seeks to amplify the contributions of diverse communities that have been overlooked in traditional narratives.
Listen to the full conversation with DeJesus and Mendoza, and check out future Truth Talks events, including an LGBTQ+ History Month event with Eric Marcus, author and creator of the Making Gay History podcast, at nysut.org/truthtalks.