Written by Kent Willmann
This summer 40 dedicated and talented educators from St. Vrain, Boulder Valley and CU spent a week in a workshop learning Boulder County Latino History. It was part of a larger community based effort to collect and tell the under-told story of our Latino population. The teachers are now developing lessons and materials to be shared with their colleagues as a resource for classrooms across both districts. It was my privilege to be a part of that effort.
A common lament when one group's history is singled out for study is that we should be teaching/learning American History instead. I understand where these folks are coming from. They wish to tell a common story, an unsegregated history of America. They call for a history that is inclusive, that does not discriminate. Fair enough. But, selective studies are not bad; in fact they are necessary. Surely, we should not eliminate military history, or women's history, or the history of sport, or music or art. Nor would any history of our nation be complete without an examination of slavery, or native peoples, or those who migrated west. Religious history too is crucial; think of the contributions and discriminations experienced by the Pilgrims, Mormons and Jews in America.
These histories allow us to more deeply examine topics that inform us, enrich us, and more importantly, provide a window into our lives today.
We often gravitate to histories that connect with our experience. Children are the same; they too want to learn history that connects with their lives. Local history has that power. Latinos make up approximately 20 percent of Boulder County's population, in schools closer to 30 percent. If we wish to engage students with history, telling the Latino story along side others only makes sense.
Don't get me wrong; I know that the inclusion of additional historical topics, necessitates the elimination of others. There is only so much time in a history course. The recent move to add a woman to the $10 bill illustrates the issue. This choice, none to soon in the making, has Alexander Hamilton's supporters rightfully concerned about his loss of prominence. (Although, probably not as upset as if he was to be replaced by Aaron Burr.)
We must choose our topics on purpose and with purpose. We must choose our topics to provide our students, our next generation, with historical knowledge and tools so they can use the wisdom of the past to make their lives better. Local Latino history does just that. The local Latino story is full of both inspiring successes and heartbreaking atrocities.
In preparation for the teacher workshop we were asked to consider why local Latino history matters. Here is my answer to the question, why does the Boulder County Latino History Project matter to me?
It matters to me because it tells a story familiar to all of us in Colorado. A story common in the West and on the frontier. A story of people seeking a better future. Colorado, like America, is full of immigrants of various types. For centuries people have been coming here, many Latinos trace their Colorado ancestors back to Spanish colonization and beyond. Evidence suggests that even the Arapaho didn't come to Colorado until they acquired horses.
Colorado just seems to attract people looking for a better life, people seeking hope, opportunity, and beauty. People who are willing to overcome challenges, people who sacrifice to build a better life for their family and for their community. People who wish to bask in the beauty and bounty of the mountains and plains. Decades of Boulder County Latino History echo these Colorado stories, these American stories, these American values.
I am reminded of the classic Michener novel "Centennial," about Colorado. In "Centennial," Native Americans, mountain men, traders, prospectors, farmers, teachers, ranchers, miners, laborers, people of all colors and stripes, come to Colorado, overcome long odds, struggle against obstacles-many unjustly imposed by hostile forces, and build our great state.
The Boulder County Latino History Project tells another, under told, version of that same story. One that appeals not only to our growing Latino population, but to all young people, a story that tells our students, people just like you have made Colorado great. If you work hard, if you struggle against adversity, if you reach out to help others, you too can climb 14ers. You too can add to the story of Colorado. You too can add your name to those who find hope and opportunity in Colorado. Who can argue with those historical messages?
So, for me, Boulder County Latino History is our history.
View this story as it first appeared in the Longmont Times-Call.
Related Faculty: Kent Willmann