¿Hablas español?

Last night I attended a panel of area Latinos whose participation was to inform listeners what it was like to be a non- white person in our basically 'monolithic' area.

We all have a story... Today I want to just share a little of Lisa's story. Lisa is 4th generation U.S. citizen, an articulate middle aged woman married to a man who is career military. She has lived in Arizona and Texas and now three years in Wisconsin in a town about 45 minutes from La Crosse.

Lisa and her husband were born with a 'tan' as she called it, a skin color darker than this area's population. Lisa said she has experienced a 50's mentality since she moved here. People ask her all the time where she is from assuming from her skin color that she is an immigrant. Lisa and her husband didn't raise their children with Spanish being spoken in the home but it was assumed that their children spoke Spanish.

Yet there are many Latinos in Lisa's community that are Latino children of agricultural and plant workers who do have limited English abilities so Lisa has become an advocate and volunteer of this minority in a town of 10,000 where almost 7% are Latino.

Can you imagine a school district with such a percentage of limited English speakers did not offer English as a Second Language (ESL) in their summer school program? Due to Lisa's advocacy the Latino Community Center (LUGAR) sponsored by the Episcopalian Diocese of Eau Claire in her town offered ESL last summer with 60 children participating. Half of the students were in k-3. Students continued their English studies through the summer and weren't farther behind when the new school year began. The hopes are to also offer a Spanish class so that Reading and Writing can also be taught ensuring true 'bilingualism.' All the teachers were volunteers.

The school district now 'gets it' and realizes the need to offer ESL in their summer program. It would seem a no brainer. Thank you Lisa for being an advocate.

We as a country need to 'get it.' It doesn't matter who is legal/ illegal. These children are here. Their parents are working here for companies who make lots and lots of money and whose goods we all enjoy. Is it the church's responsibility to take care of them / is it ours?