RALEIGH, N.C. — Latinx education leaders from 21 counties across North Carolina participated in a survey and focus groups to share their stories, which helped create a new report, Nuestra Esperanza.
The organization LatinxEd published the report this month. It outlines insights on building an environment for Latinx education leadership to thrive across North Carolina. Participants were asked about their motivations for getting into their field, challenges they are facing and re-imagining the education field.
One member of the group, Sergio Madera-Garcia, a graduate student services coordinator for Multicultural Student Affairs at N.C. State, and a mentor at the Emily K. Center, in Durham, participated in this survey.
Madera-Garcia is glad that LatinxEd is bringing these stories to light and talking about these important conversations.
“One of the things I’m hoping happens now that the report is out is that we have more people in our communities coming up and trusting us to share their experiences and to help elevate their voices so that way our information can stay updated,” Madera-Garcia said.
The report identified challenges that Latinx leaders are facing, including access to opportunity, barriers to professional development, cultural isolation and deteriorating conditions for sustainability.
Madera-Garcia said one of the challenges he’s seeing is underrepresentation.
“Throughout my entire time with recollecting back to elementary school, I only recall having like one Latinx teacher in elementary school and after that, haven’t seen somebody who looks like me, who speaks like me, who can really resonate with the things that I share with them as well, up until this point when I’m in spaces like this where its multicultural-based,” Madera-Garcia said.
This is a reason why Madera-Garcia wants to help make a change and be that person students can lean on.
“To me it feels really empowering just because as a first-generation, marginalized student that identifies as both queer and Latinx as well, you don’t see these resources as readily available on a daily basis,” Madera-Garcia said.
The report also gathers information to identify recruitment and retention strategies that promote sustainable conditions for these leaders. Nuestra Esperanza said there is an absence of Latinx representation in classroom settings, and advocates are thinking about how they can increase Latinx youth’s exposure to Latinx educators in their communities, so they can see themselves reflects in these leaders.
“By being first generation, I’m paving the way for other students who are really in the same shoes, so that way again they have someone to lean on them, someone to give them that advice, that mentorship, and support them in different ways,” Madera-Garcia said.
Editor's Note: Information from a report included in this story regarding the statistical makeup of Latinx students and educators in the North Carolina schools system has been removed due to inaccuracies.