December 6, 2019
Dear editor;
I am writing to The Voice along with all elected officials on Aurora’s City Council and other influential members of our community, about a matter that is of upmost importance which needs some type of potential solution implemented.
Since establishing my residency, in Aurora more than 30 years ago, I have been asked numerous times why I would live here. My response was that, I saw Aurora as a city with great potential, despite its reputation. A reputation that has cost the city in many ways. Some of those being loss of business, a serious gang and drug problem, and residents moving out. There exists a perception that Aurora is a city that individuals should avoid. That is contrary to the surveys that list Aurora as one of the top 10 cities in the country to live in.
Considering events of the recent past, the shooting deaths, that are not new to Aurora, and having just seen Aurora mayor Richard Irvin on Chicago television news, saying that we need to address these issues any way we can, I need to bring to your attention a program that has had a profound impact on young people and others around the country and the world.
The program comes from our backyard. A program is being solicited by organizations around the country as well as department of our federal and state governments.
The Barrio Foundation, now more than 10 years old, comes from personal experiences of Dr. Robert Renteria, built with his own time and monetary investment. The goal is changing our world through social and emotional development. The curriculum is built around the book, “From the Barrio to The Boardroom” which is being used around the country. The book has been introduced to more than 25 countries.
Dr. Renteria is the only Latino in the world to have received not one, ,but two Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. humanitarian awards for his work as a civil rights leader and a Latino voice in educational reform. For the same reasons, he received an International Honorary Doctorate for Humanities and Academics from Ibero/Americano University, Mexico City. The list of awards and recognitions for his work as a civil rights leader and his excellent work in anti-violence education, youth initiatives and community change, is quite extensive.
I understand that for a brief period when Renteria was in the early stages of his mission, there was some involvement with the program (the release of his book) in Aurora.
It has come to my attention that there are some within the community, in influential positions, who have denigrated Robert and claimed he was not qualified to have his program in one of our school districts. Frankly, it matters not what some may feel about him on a personal level. What matters is the message not the messenger. However, his character is one that does not deserve to be besmirched.
Now is the time to seize the benefits of this program and opportunity. These are viable, tangible, and culturally-relevant teaching tools. If you have good reason not to utilize this opportunity, I would ask you to provide me and the rest of our community a better option for addressing the issue of drugs and violence in Aurora.
To get a better fuller understanding of the social impact around the world, one only needs to search the internet for Robert Renteria.
“Don’t let where you come from dictate who you are, but let it be a part of who you become.”
James Rabb, Aurora