Open letter to Albuquerque's City Council regarding the Minimum Wage initiative

My Grandson, 'Jaja' at his Great Grandmother's yard in Los Duranes

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
 They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
 Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world . . . Oh yeah  
What a Wonderful World

I would like to read this letter before the Council on 5/25/05 but, it may be impossible. It is my understanding they have a 3 minute limit for people addressing the Council.

Distinguished Council Chair and Members of the Albuquerque City Council,

I was raised in Los Duranes, the oldest community in Albuquerque. My family has a rich history in this beloved homeland. My family's roots reach all the way back to the time when the first Europeans set foot in the New World. My lineage in this Land of Enchantment is even deeper owing to my Native American roots. I stand today before the distinguished council and offer my thoughts regarding the proposal before you to increase the minimum wage.

It was not until I attended college that I realized the family I grew up in, lived in poverty. I simply assumed people lived like me everywhere. I assumed my father's daily struggle to earn enough money to feed the family - without complaining about it - was what every American was doing because they loved their families as well. In retrospect, I recall my mother made miracles happen every day just to keep us fed. Together, they saw to it that we never went to bed with pangs of hunger in our stomachs. In that regard, we were blessed; to have a roof over our heads and our bellies full of food. My siblings and I never enjoyed such amenities as new clothes or shoes; they were purchased at the second-hand stores located about town.

My niece who was educated as a Registered Nurse and Elementary School Teacher had the privilege of student teaching at the very school, Los Duranes Elementary, where my siblings and I were first educated. Daily she would return with heart wrenching stories of children who live in homes with and cracks in the walls where beams of sunlight dance off the dust raised from dirt floors. Bear in mind, these residences, where some people in Los Duranes live like third world citizens are located only a quarter of a mile away from where Mayor Martin Chavez resides. The community of Los Duranes is separated by a five-foot high wall from the Mayor's affluent community, Thomas Village. This gentrified community was considered the northern most part of Duranes just twenty-five years ago. Lest you dismiss the children my niece described as offspring of recent immigrants, let me assure you, I recognize many of their parents and grandparents as the same people I attended school with nearly three decades ago. These people live in generational poverty. Where there is poverty, there is dispair. Where there is dispair there is no hope. A place berift of hope is fertile ground for self-destruction, hatred and rage. As a community, we cannot afford to allow this to persist.

I received one of my degrees in History from The University of New Mexico. It was there that I read the profound words of one of America's native sons. He rose from a simple life to become President of this great nation. In my opinion he stands out as one of the greatest Americans if not the greatest American in history. He said, "The measure of any society is how it treats the least of its members." Pretty profound words I would say. This greatest of orators was a member of the GOP, a Republican. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

Unfortunately, the people this Distinguished Council needs to hear from most could not be here tonight. They are either out busy working or have just gotten home and have to attend to the needs of their families as well. Just because they go to work, does not mean their work at home doesn't need attending to as well. These people most likely are not inclined to vote because the attendant realities of their lives call their attention away. Moreover, there are quite a few who have simply given up on their government and see themselves as disenfranchised, having no voice; not even in their local government. They do not move in your world and the lion's share of us remains blissfully unaware of their lot in life. They do however share something in common with you; they want a better life for their children.

I implore you today, on behalf of the little people - the people with no voice in this great city - to please leave all political expediencies aside this very day. I ask you as members of the community we commonly call Humanity, to make a bold statement that posterity is sure to shine upon when you vote to pass this Minimum Wage initiative. It is a good thing; it is a decent thing it is the right thing to do for the wage earners of this wonderful city.

Esteemed members of this Council, you have an ominous duty before each of you in having been elected into your respective positions to represent the needs of your constituency; whether they voted for you or not. When you go home tonight, know that you have done something you can feel genuinely pleased about, something you have the very real ability to effect. It is your privileged responsibility to implement. Pass this initiative and go home tonight knowing that a few people in this town will have just a few more dollars to live. Pass this initiative out of civic duty, dignity and respect for the working poor in this city.

We need to be at the forefront in America today when we finally acknowledge that the wage earner and the working people are this country's most precious resource.

God Bless: America, New Mexico, Albuquerque, and the members of this Council