Si se puede!

Today is Cesar Chavez Day, so community college had the day off. I decided to celebrate the holiday by attending a rally and march in downtown El Paso this morning. The event was to recognize Cesar Chavez, but it also was very much about the recent immigration debate. People in other cities have been rallying against immigration legislation being reviewed in the House and Senate in the past week. Protest first reached El Paso this week in the form of high school students walking out of class. There have been walkouts for about three days; today, those student protesters joined up with this downtown rally/march.

One local news channel emphasized how many of the students didn't know who Cesar Chavez was or didn't understand the immigration issue. I'd like for reporters to ask various adult El Pasoans those same questions and compare the results! They seem hell bent on portraying the student protestors as rowdy and ignorant. I've read emails sent to the station's website that overwhelmingly are against the walkouts and demand that these students be punished.

I think it's exciting to see young people show interest in a pressing national issue. As a community college instructor, I yearn to see students get excited about anything at all. I try to inspire my students to think critically about historical and curent events. This type of thinking shouldn't just start in college because, frankly, many Chicanos aren't even getting to college. High schools need to work on waking up young people and encouraging them to ask questions, read the newspaper and figure out how the issues affect their lives. The student protesters took that last step and chose to show their outrage through peaceful protest. Even if they don't initially understand immigration reform or know of Cesar Chavez's accomplishments, the rally's speeches and banners will educate them in a way that standardized exams never will.

The energy of the crowd at today's rally was special. Rally's aren't enough, though, and I'm glad that many speeches encouraged everyone to take up this issue with their elected officials. There are plenty more national issues that directly concern Latinos. Maybe immigration can open up those for debate, too.