Rise up for Latino youths

When the Community Service Society (CSS) sounded the alarm on the crisis of disconnected youths, there was plenty of outrage and calls for action. More than a year later, the clamor barely sounds like a whisper among elected leaders and activists.

One third of New York City’s youths-ages 16 to 24- are Latinos. Many are not faring well. They tend to live in poorer households in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups.

For specific youths, the statistics are staggering: 24% of Puerto Rican young men in the city are neither in school nor working. In an information-tech economy that demands evolving skills, CSS reported the same bleak picture for 39% of Mexican young women. This is all the more compounded by the legal limbo in which immigrants remain.

Members of the city’s oldest and newest Latino groups are in trouble. The response to this ongoing crisis matters for young people who deserve opportunities to achieve their aspirations, not have them thwarted by economic and racial disparities they did not create. It matters considering the conflicting message that is sent to black and brown youth – that there is little access for them in higher education or the workforce, but plenty of it at Rikers.

Some leaders and organizations are directing funding and resources to youth. But the scale of the response-from government and community working in tandem- is sorely lagging behind the needs of disconnected young people.

Our kids should know beyond a doubt that there is a collective commitment to their well-being. The late respected activist Richie Perez often declared, “A community that cannot protect its youth is a community without a future.”

So where are the massive rallies on their behalf? Where are leaders and activists standing together calling on our families and neighbors to rise and make a promesa to our youth? Where is the viral campaign on Youtube and other platforms that young people connect through? Where is the concerted, coordinated and visible effort among the scores of Hispanic groups? Where is the guidance and support for parents who may be falling short?

We must re-connect our sons and daughters to a strong community that fiercely advocates for quality schools, training and jobs. At a time when Republicans are hell bent on cutting programs meant to give marginalized groups a foothold, this is an even more pressing time to act up.