Minority Voice
Latrina Mosely
I had to miss work for a day; I forget why. But I knew in advance, so I was able to plan ahead and choose the substitute I wanted to take over my classes. My then-boyfriend happened to be registered as a sub, and he happened to be available that day. He knew how I worked, he heard me talk through my classroom policies, and he heard me complain about problematic situations and challenging students. He knew how my classes ran better than anyone else. Picking him as my stand-in was a no-brainer.
The contents of my desk had been strewn across the classroom floor, creating an atmosphere of post-tornado disaster in the room and leaving room for this, written in orange dry-erase marker on the most usable and accessible surface:
So let me re-live that day. Let me stop my routine and talk to my students. Let me come out to my classes. Let me show that I can shake with combined anger and embarrassment. That I can shed tears from being overwhelmed and caught off-guard. Let me point to the vandalism and say that I live in a society that allowed such an act to happen, that allowed the perpetrators to go unidentified, and that trapped me into being silent. With this article, I am ending that silence and committing to use my own voice. I will use it to speak up on behalf of those caught without the ability to speak for themselves. I will use my voice to speak more loudly when others hope for silence. And rather than hoping the problem of discrimination will simply go away, I will give my voice to the problem and say that the problem is both very real and very destructive. Because no matter how loud the silence may have felt, using my voice makes me louder.
MVT, a program of VLT, is designed to build bridges that offer opportunities for members of local minority or marginalized communities to participate in the collaborative art of theatre as actors, writers, directors, designers, and audience members.
Founded in 2017 by VLT members Stan Coleman and Carol Dennis, MVT primarily produces staged readings of plays, which allow those with little theatre experience the chance to learn what it means to create a character, deliver lines with meaning, and to experience the magic of being in a play. This model also allows our local communities the chance to see their stories brought to life on our local stages.
At the end of 2017, VLT and MVT decided to join forces, offering VLT an active community outreach tool, and giving MVT a home, a 501(c)3 for fund raising, and the support of one of the oldest continuously running community theatres in the country. VLT has been producing plays in Eugene, Oregon every year since March, 1929!
In the fall of 2019, MVT, VLT, and the University of Oregon joined together to present a full-scale production of Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World by Yussef El Guindi, directed by Michael Malek Najjar.
In all this time, approximately 3000 people have come to see MVT productions. By sharing donations and revenue from ticket sales with community partners, MVT has raised approximately $4500 for local non-profits: NAACP of Lane County, Lane Community College Multi-Cultural Center, Soromundi: Lesbian Chorus of Eugene, Community Alliance of Lane County, Centro Latino Americano, the Islamic Community Center of Lane County, Trans*Ponder, the UO Muslim Student Union, illioo Native Theatre, and Wordcrafters in Eugene.
Going forward, MVT will be looking for opportunities to support performing arts projects in Lane County that uplift the cultures and stories too often left invisible to the larger community. MVT is looking to provide financial support through sponsorship, as well as practical support through mentoring in the areas of producing and promoting.
Although African Americans and members of other minority groups have made great legal strides, societal barriers still exist that prevent their social and political empowerment. When I worked with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) prior to my position at the Wilson Center, I saw a dearth of minority representation on Capitol Hill and a consequent uphill battle for Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members who wanted to get their political agendas heard.
Policies intended to assist the disenfranchised--a category African Americans fall into disproportionately--are not given priority. The longer such problems as unemployment, low-paying jobs, or unaffordable health insurance remain unresolved, the more they contribute to the disempowerment not only of African Americans, but also of many groups in the United States. Fortunately, there are programs to help empower minority populations in the struggle to overcome these problems.
When the CBC was organized in 1976, its members understood the need to promote and maintain a critical level of minority representation on Capitol Hill to preserve and further the civil rights gains of the 1960s. They created the CBCF to help combat the lack of minority talent in the political arena. One CBCF program was a fellowship that enabled promising masters level and law school graduates to work with Congressional members. By immersing these young men and women in politics, the Foundation broadened the talent field for Capitol Hill and other public policy positions.
When I met with Philippa Strum, director of the Division of United States Studies (DUSS), she spoke of a similar program called "New Scholarship in Race and Ethnicity." Junior-level minority scholars in academia reported that senior members of their disciplines often discounted their work in the areas of race and ethnicity. By featuring the work of promising young minority scholars, the "New Scholarship" series gives them an opportunity to present their work and have it analyzed by the Wilson Center and senior scholars in their fields.
As the CBCF offered young policymakers and thinkers an opportunity to work with Congress, the U.S. Studies program offers young scholars an opportunity to work with senior members of academia. Where the CBCF tackled the lack of diversity in the political arena, DUSS helps diversify the world of scholarship. Such programs provide important opportunities for minorities to gain social, political, and legal equality.
Elections have consequences and the recent New Mexico elections are no different. You would think, as a Democrat, that I would be thrilled. While I am happy with the results, I also have some serious concerns. The Democrats won every statewide office, retook the governorship, and has all five members of Congress represented by the same party. The Democrats have retaken the U.S. House of Representatives and now act as a check on the abuses of the current administration. The New Mexico House of Representatives has increased its majority from 38-32 to 46-24. While the New Mexico Senate was not up for election, it will enter this legislative session with the same 26-16 majority. At the county level, all of the commissioners in Doa Ana County are Democrats.
With the Republican Party losing significant strength in New Mexico it provides an opportunity for the Democrats to rule and make major changes without that careful consideration. A weakened minority makes it too easy to ignore the minority voice that serves as a check and balance against badly written or badly conceptualized legislation. The Democrats in the Roundhouse must be extra careful to ensure that we are writing good laws for the people of the state and not just passing laws because we have the power to do so. The New Mexico Senate has been an effective working body because we respect and listen to our colleagues from the other side of the aisle and keep discussions on issues not party line.
As a state Senator, I hope the Republican Party moves away from the negative ideology of recent years and back to statesmanship responsive to good government. A weakened and fractured minority voice does not provide the needed check to the majority power. New Mexico needs the breadth of ideas that leads to good government. I look forward to working with my Republican colleagues and will continue to listen and consider their thoughts and ideas. I will also listen to my Democratic colleagues and hope we use our power for good government and not just because we have the votes.
The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) is the leading national advocate for employment diversity, inclusion and contracting opportunities in the multi-modal, multi-billion-dollar transportation industry. Our mission is to eliminate barriers to maximum participation for minority individuals, veterans, people with disabilities and certified MWDBE businesses through leadership training, professional development, scholarship and internship funding, political advocacy, partnership building and networking opportunities.
We believe that diversity moves the nation. We believe that the leadership of a massive industry that has the responsibility of transporting all people all the time should reflect the complex mosaic of those they serve. We believe that commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity and experience moves us forward every day.
Our mission is to ensure opportunities and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, veterans, people with disabilities and certified MWDBE businesses through leadership training, professional development, scholarship and internship funding, political advocacy, partnership building and networking opportunities.
We represent the more than 3 million minorities in the United States and Canada who work in all modes of the transportation industry. From highways and roads to mass transit systems, from subways to rail systems and from port authorities to airports, COMTO members represent every facet of the transportation industry. This includes trucking, taxi and limousine services. Our members are individuals, students, transportation agencies, corporations, academic institutions, industry non-profits and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). We are the presidents and chief executive officers who determine the direction of major transportation systems and the mechanics and operators who ensure the safe passage of millions of transportation riders every day.
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