Founders of nonprofits can make a big difference
Iadmire Allegra Love and her Santa Fe Dreamers Project ( “‘Vicarious trauma,’ ” Oct. 27), and I understand some of what she is going through, being a founder of a nonprofit myself. The successes are short lived; the critics are more outspoken than the beneficiaries; everyone and everything is time sensitive, while services are needed everywhere.
On top of it all, Allegra and her staff are working on emotionally charged cases. My advice? Narrow your focus — on a specific detention center, on immigrants from certain countries or on uniting children with their parents.
Just because we can help everyone doesn’t mean we jump in to help everyone, because in that jump, we might hurt ourselves. Try to be strategic and not reactive to the circumstances around you, no matter how tough and infuriating those circumstances are. Allegra, we love having you in our community, and we’re with you.
Lina Germann founder and chief executive officer STEM Santa Fe Santa Fe
Role model for kids
In Santa Fe, there is a distressing trend of gentrification of our northern neighborhoods; young families can no longer afford to live in school neighborhoods. To make matters worse, there has been a concerted effort to try to close schools (a symptom) rather than truly and finally address the cause (a housing crisis).
In the face of growing inequity and lip service, we need a person who has rebuffed the organizations and the influence of the political machine to close schools. We deserve someone willing to stand up and champion our kids and schools that are unfairly being targeted. That person is Steve Carrillo.
I have a daughter, and my lesson to her is not to curtsy in the face of injustice and allow the political machine to quiet the lone voice defending us. Steve is the role model for our kids, and the person we need to keep on our board.
Aaron Fowler Santa Fe
Supporting student success
Engaged. Dedicated. Knowledgeable. Native Santa Fean Carmen Gonzales will have the best interests of our students and our community when she serves on the Santa Fe Public Schools board representing District 1. Carmen has the experience, the expertise and the extraordinary commitment that serving on the board requires. Her background as a product of Santa Fe Public Schools, as an educator and as an administrator ensures her participation is fully committed to student success and community enrichment. She will provide excellent perspectives, thoughtful contributions and stellar leadership. A vote for Carmen is a vote for a positive future for Santa Fe. I encourage everyone to support Carmen Gonzales for school board District 1.
L.J. Mulry Santa Fe
Vote for traditions
It was more than a year ago when the Santa Fe school board voted 4-1 to limit the decadeslong tradition of the Fiesta royalty to visiting school children in classes that study New Mexico history — fourth, seventh and ninth grades (“School board votes to limit Fiesta events,” Aug. 8, 2018). They indicated this may be a stopgap measure and that in the future, they might consider eliminating all school visitation by Santa Fe Fiesta royalty (“After end of Entrada, is Don Diego next to go?” Sept. 6).
As you go to vote this November for school board members, remember the incumbent for District 1, Steven J. Carrillo, voted to eliminate the long Fiesta tradition, stating that it “is foundationally a religious event.” For years, Santa Fe has been a center for the blending of primary cultures of the Native American, Spanish and Anglo. You now have the opportunity to protect our culture and traditions. Go out and vote. Stand up and do the right thing.
Virgil J. Vigil Colonel, U.S. Army (retired) Santa Fe
Editor’s note: The last day The New Mexican will run letters about the Nov. 5 local election is Friday, Nov. 1.