"We bring Latinos and Native Americans. We bring them to the capital. We want people to start seeing us..."

“We have people … who have been here for over 15, 20 years, who have made a life in the U.S., who have families in the U.S. – children, homes, cars, businesses that are at risk”

From New Jersey and Kansas zoning laws to Florida environmental concerns, states, cities, and advocates are battling the expansion of immigration detention in court.

The sudden shifts between protected and unprotected status has sparked controversy over immigration enforcement in courthouses.

“We’ll continue to be a leader, a fighter, and a vision of what can be in the United States.”

American legal system, despite its claims of justice, often protects powerful abusers, even within the legal profession itself.

Welcome to another episode of CTLN Latino News Opinion+ where we talk about major issues the Latinx and other underrepresented communities face in the state of Connecticut.  This week we spoke with Ingrid Canady, Executive Director of the State Education Resource Center (SERC) on the organization’s services and how it supports local communities amid national tragedies, such as those regarding gun violence and racial discrimination.  https://youtu.be/m1eJNhxYYWc SERC is a quasi-public agency that serves the CT State Board of Education in ensuring educational equity and excellence across the state. The agency maintains the Special Education Resource Center and the SERC Library.  Canady said the organization’s services have increased over the years and SERC currently supports and provides resources to children and families, a variety of organizations, and a total of 169 school districts across the state.  The agency’s main goals going into 2023 include raising awareness of their services to [...]

Welcome to another episode of Connecticut Latino News Opinion+, where we talk about major issues local Latinx and underrepresented communities face. This week we spoke with Dawn La Valle, Director of the Division of Library Development for the Connecticut State Library.  https://youtu.be/6I5pN30JjQ8 “We basically help and support our libraries to enhance their services that they provide to the community,” La Valle explained. The Division of Library Development offers all academic, public school, and special libraries a wide variety of funding, education, and leadership services.  In this month’s episode, La Valle discussed the importance of digital equity across Connecticut’s diverse communities and shared about other inclusive efforts by the CT State Library, including the Connecticut State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH).  “Digital Equity is about everyone having access, everyone being able to use a device to do their homework, to do their work,” she said. “The work [...]

In the midst of a nationwide teacher shortage plaguing the country, studies show that the need for educators in Illinois is worse than ever. For English Learners (ELs) the stakes are especially high as these students deal with a language barrier in which their parents may not be able to assist with and a shortage of adults qualified to teach them. “Because this is one of the fastest growing groups of children in the state, if Illinois is going to be successful, we need this group of children to be successful,” said Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro, Director of Education Policy and Research at Latino Policy Forum. The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools found that in 2021 there were 2,040 open positions in Illinois school districts alone. The need for bilingual teachers is especially highlighted as the number of ELs in Illinois grows and the demand for educators certified to [...]

Connecticut Public Libraries seek to address the growing digital divide between the state’s diverse communities through its CT Libraries & Partners for Digital Equity initiative, which participated in a series of Juneteenth events last month.  The CT Libraries & Partners for Digital Equity Coalition oversees the new initiative that aims to provide computers, affordable high-speed broadband, and community digital navigators to local communities. Public Library staff and other community members formed the Coalition in January 2020 as a team dedicated to closing the drastic gap in digital access across Connecticut.   “There are still families at home who don’t have internet access, who do not have a device, and who do not know how to use it,” said Dawn LaValle, Director of the Division of Library Development for the CT State Library. “So, the pandemic really shined a light on this problem and we’re just realizing the expanse of it.”  [...]

The College of Lake County (CLC), a community college in Illinois, recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution, adopted a cultural response to recruit and retain Latino students in tackling the student deficit it experienced during the pandemic. According to its official enrollment numbers, the response saw a 27 percent increase in Latino student enrollment for the Fall 2021 semester (36 percent of all students were Latinx, per CLC). According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, this was a welcomed change since Latino undergraduate enrollment in colleges nationwide declined by seven percent between 2019-2021. The college's multipronged cultural response included hiring bilingual therapists that offer counseling in English and Spanish to Spanish-speaking and international students and a Latino student outreach coordinator to be part of its student inclusion and activities office. CLC also hired a new team of college and career navigators that were embedded in high schools feeding [...]

The Middletown Board of Education has unanimously approved, with a vote of 9 to 0, to name Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos superintendent of schools. Vázquez Matos is the first bilingual and biliterate Hispanic-Latino superintendent for the district. He had been acting superintendent since October, when Michael Conner took a leave of absence, and later resigned. "In the nearly eight months that Dr. Vázquez Matos has been the Acting Superintendent, he has proven himself to be a leader that is able to bring about necessary organizational changes, all the while building relationships, restoring trust, and renewing the district’s commitment and focus on student learning, growth, and well-being," a school district spokesperson told NBC Connecticut. Hispanics-Latinos make up 17 percent of Connecticut’s population; 11 percent of them live in Middletown that has nearly 48,000 residents. Vázquez Matos was born in the town of Naranjito, located in Puerto Rico’s interior. His mother [...]