Behold 1500 Latinos! A Special Article

A Special Article on Behold 1500 Latinos!
written by Courtney Groszhans for Ben Ruiz


A fact that connects all Americans: at some point their families were foreigners and encountered xenophobia from fellow Americans. Ask yourself, what hardships did my ancestors face when they first settled here? The new wave of immigrants are predominately from Latin countries, according to the US Census over half of foreign-born immigrants in the United States are Latino, thus the need for a community wide effort to ensure the need for a more educated tomorrow, enter BeHold 1500 Latinos!

Behold 1500 Latinos! is a city wide initiative to help a minimum of 1500 Latinos obtain college degrees by the year 2020 in Louisville. This is a part of the 55,000 Degrees Initiative in Jefferson County. Behold 1500 Latinos is seeking funds to guarantee the success of Latinos in Jefferson County. This grass roots effort is compiled of hardworking individuals, all of the leaders are successful Latinos professionals, helping Latino students find their own path to college. Behold would support and introduce new programs into the Louisville community promising the success of Latino students and promoting the importance of obtaining a college degree.

One of the goals of Behold 1500 Latinos! is to create a college-going atmosphere within the Latino community. As you know, children of immigrants in the United States face challenges their American born counterparts do not. Initiatives such as Behold are progressive as they are addressing a recurring problem in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “Hispanic students lag [behind white students] by the same amount today as they did in 1990, which means that the achievement gap between Hispanic and white students has been largely unchanged for the past two decades,” (Time, 2011). These disparities have been explained as a ‘language barrier’ as 4 million Latino-Americans first language is not English. However, the difference is Latinos may no longer be a minority here in the United States, as they have the fastest growing population. States such as Arizona have taken an alternate approach in their dealings with Latino immigrants, but Louisville has been recognized as a city of compassion and has chosen to embrace diversity. Contributing to this idea, we have innovative ideas and compassionate people willing to help a community of immigrants achieve their own American dream of going to college and becoming a magnate in their community.

Funding could contribute to already existing programs that successfully impact Latino students in Jefferson County. Two such programs are La Camara@Wesley House and Adelante Hispanic Achievers, Inc. Adelante serves 80 Latino students, helping them socially, personally, and educationally. In Adelante’s eighth year of programming, the average GPA of their Latino students who have been in the program over three years is a 3.4 (a B+ average). By supporting an already existing program, this would expand the outreach of Adelante to greatly impact more Latino students.

Embracing the Latino community here in Louisville would not only cement the idea that Louisville is a city of compassion, but Louisville would be a prime example of how we as Americans should be embracing diversity in our community. By supporting Latino students, we are investing in our own future. By 2020, Latinos are estimated to represent over half of the American population. What better way to ensure success than invest in Latino students and ensure their likelihood of obtaining a degree and contributing back to society?

By 2020 Louisville could see 1500 Latinos with a college degree and be compassionate members of society. They would in turn be role models to the younger generation of Latinos that yes it is possible to be successful in America. By 2025, 1500 will easily turn into 3,000 Latinos with a college degree and so on. The hardest part is starting this process and showing people that it is possible and it will happen. The leaders of this initiative will not stop until these goals are met and will not stop working when they are. Funding is an investment in someone’s future and in Louisville’s future as well.

The organizers of Behold 1500! Latinos are accepting volunteers who would like to discuss this initiative and the future possibilities of collaboration. Please contact Ben Ruiz at 589-3224 or ben@adhawks.com