The State of the State for Washington Latinos

Washington’s giant budget deficit means cutting a lot of programs, and therefore eliminating many services that people have come to rely on. Another option, which my research in Quincy, WA identified specifically with educational programs and civic engagement, is the way that a community-based organization made to fill one purpose can often serve double duty because it is already positioned to provide other programs. This is especially important for minority communities, such Latinos.

This seems like an easy ‘Yes’ choice across the board, because the more liberal thinkers love the wealth of program options it offers, while the more conservative thinkers hone in on the economic efficiency.

What I found in Olympia, though, was interesting. Many people have difficulty seeing the crucial partnership aspect of having community-based organizations either support or take over previously government run services. While legislators are happy to pass the responsibility for these projects to local organizations, they tend to not want to pass even a small portion of the funding already earmarked for those projects, saying that the state really can’t afford to be funding any more programs (it is left unstated how these small programs can expect to finance their newfound responsibilities).

If you can spend half as much to support an organization that provides not just the one, but multiple services, isn’t that actually funding fewer programs while providing more resources?

One thing which stuck strongly with me from the trip to Olympia is how important it is for legislators look not just at cost-cutting changes, but rather at truly cost-saving options when working to tackle the looming budget dilemma.

Washington’s Representatives are concern about America’s economy. MONEY was a constant theme in all of our conversations. Where should the money go? Where cuts should be made?

The Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities spoke to us about their model of health care. Often times it seems as though health care is about tests, doctors, vaccines, insurance, nutrition among other direct health services; however, it reality health care is much more than that. Health is affected by our immediate surroundings (e.g. quality of home), organizations (e.g. school), communities (e.g. neighborhood), and affected by our society (e.g. public policy).

Therefore, essentially the wellbeing of an individual is really the well-being of a society. At this point I realized how important policies are. Providing the tools and the resources for communities is imperative in order for the whole community to succeed.

The challenge is in identifying the tools that are most effective and efficient in order to financially support those tools. Research is needed for this. However, the research that is necessary is lacking, especially research concerning minorities. The resources available for our government to rely on are limited.

My trip to Olympia made me realize the significance of doing this type of research in order to support and create movement towards certain policies that will reflect the need present in our communities. Latinos are the fastest growing population of the United Sates and their needs are not being met. The well being of the Latinos is the well being of the whole community.

Going to Olympia Washington to speak to the Senators and Legislators of Washington Sate was EMPOWERING! I learned THREE things: Yes, our voices do matter. Yes, we can make a difference. And yes, it is CRITICAL for us to ENGAGE!

An area of great concern is providing quality education to close the achievement gap. Currently in the state of Washington There is a 26% high school graduation gap between Hispanics and Whites. I was excited to learn that the state requested and now has full achievement gap reports for certain minorities and specific recommendations on how to close the gap: Hispanics, African American, Asian American, Pacific Islanders etc. (SB-5973 Addressing the achievement gap).

Recommendations range from providing better teacher training, challenging courses, and even material access; however, little in regards to the school environment is present. In light of the school violence—bullying, harassment, gun-shooting etc—creating a welcoming, respectful, and comfortable school is crucial to successfully closing the achievement gap.

As I spoke to the Governors Gregoire Executive Policy Advisor who focuses on Education I was inform of the increase efforts for school-community programs–programs that bridge the in classroom learning with the real world. This not only increases the student’s involvement in the school but also outside the school, it increases their peer and adult network, as well as allows them to feel a sense of purpose and practicality in their life. Although great, more needs to be done.

I found in Walla Walla High School that RACE MATTERS. We need policies that address the racial inequalities because they are present in schools. Latinos students experience a higher degree of racial jokes and a higher degree of negative stereotype assumptions based on their skin color. They also not only have poorer teacher-student relationships, but a less extensive peer and adult networks as well which limits their access to resources and information in regards to obtaining higher education. Although these experiences are real, students feel hopeless and disempowered.

Wa-Hi has recently implemented a Civility Initiative in all of their primary and secondary schools. THIS IS GREAT!! We need more civility programs that address the violence occurring in schools and that actively focus on enhancing the environment. Yet, race must be actively incorporated in order to be address. Every child deserves the opportunity for a higher education. Every child deserves to feel welcome, comfortable, and respected when they are in school in order to increase their academic performance. I strongly encourage schools and the state to consider civility programs as a means to close the achievement gap.

Parents, students, community members, and organizations, lets start recognizing the importance of (1) school environment (2) race and (3) our ability to advocate change.

Going to Olympia to discuss policy with state legislators becomes a tricky task when said legislators are dealing with an $8 billion shortfall in the state’s budget. Everyone is hyperaware of the potential budgetary implications of the issues you bring up, and quick to point them out. This made for a somewhat challenging environment for our group of students to pitch their policy recommendations. On the other hand, the budgetary focus of our reception illuminated an important aspect to my research that I had not previously considered.

My colleague Pedro Galvao mentioned in a recent post the importance of following laws with more adequate enforcement. What this trip emphasized for me is the importance of following laws with proper funding.

Along with classmates Nick Dollar and Pedro Galvao, I researched Latino voting rights in city council elections in Pasco, Washington. Our research was designed in part to look for violations of the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA). Among other provisions, the VRA protects minority voting rights by requiring certain jurisdictions to provide bilingual elections materials and voter outreach.

My research found that the implementation of bilingual programs and election ballots in Pasco doubled Latino voter turnout in the first two years after they were introduced. This is an important achievement in a town where Latinos comprise 56% of the population, yet comprise only 5% of voters in local elections and have no representation on the city council.

The situation is very similar in other towns in eastern Washington, indicating a widespread need for bilingual election outreach. The VRA responds to this need in its regulations, but the law was passed with no budgetary allocation to help states and counties actually pay for bilingual programs. A staff member of the Washington Legislature’s Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs who we spoke with about our research aptly called the bilingual requirements of the VRA an “un-funded mandate.” That is, the federal government has required action on bilingual election materials by local government but provided no source of funding. Practically this makes these programs dead in the water for local and state governments facing tight budgets.

This revelation comes as no shock, since difficulties in translating policy from the national to local levels is an all-to-common feature of federalism. However, this comment did reinforce in my mind the need for Washington State to consider drafting its own voting rights act, something already accomplished in California. The budget shortfall likely prevents such action for the moment, but drafting a state voting rights act might not only help to provide more funds for bilingual programs, it could also reinstate the important judicial recourses to voting rights violations that have been progressively eroded in the federal Act by a number of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Going to Olympia gave some perspective on how much this economic crisis has affected Washington State. Almost everyone we met mentioned the difficulty in obtaining any funds or even keeping pre-existing funds for programs or projects. While the economic crisis gave Representatives an easy excuse to dismiss whoever knocked on their door (“I’m not against it, there’s just no money!”), it also gave us an opportunity to present a sense of urgency in our research. Most of us could easily link the economic crisis to the stability of the Latino community in relation with our projects. Whether it’s closing the education achievement gap or improving living standards for farm workers (which would improve agriculture), the benefits can be numerous for our economy.

I was particularly impressed that here in Walla Walla, the local government made room for Commitment to Community in their budget, despite the crisis. The local neighborhood based organization seems to be making quite the impact in the area, inspiring low-income residents to improve their neighborhood quality. The fact that the government is giving them money shows that these organizations work! And, not only do they work, but they are valued by the very people who normally wouldn’t think twice about adding funds to the budget for a whole new organization.

The local government has recognized the importance that–especially in hard times–people need an extra push to get motivated. Community organizations like Commitment to Community have already created trust among who they work with so they are perfect for helping residents become more proactive in their community—which is exactly what many politicians want! I hope other cities can use Walla Walla as an example…

Whitman students and Professor Paul Apostolidis traveled to Olympia to introduce new research. The State of the State for Washington Latinos: 2008 represents the fourth round of community-based research complete with support for local community partners. On Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13, Whitman students met with the Governor’s policy staff, legislators, legislative committee staff, and other community organizations to present their research findings.