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Carbondale's Latino Advisory Board gains five members

The invitation for the October interest meeting
Carbondale, Colorado Facebook Page
The invitation for the October interest meeting

Newly elected Carbondale trustee, Christina Montemayor, says Carbondale is around 40 percent Latino, yet their voice and presence is conspicuously absent from local government. A few years ago, the board of trustees floated the idea of a Latino advisory board, but it wasn't until very recently that those seats began to fill up.

Montemayor and a few others sent out flyers and held an interest meeting in October that led to five candidates being confirmed for the board on November 12th. She hopes this important representation will enhance a sense of belonging among residents and create a bridge between the Latino community and the trustees.

"So what'll happen is they'll go through training in December and then they're gonna decide whether they do monthly meetings, quarterly meetings. At that time, once they start the monthly or quarterly meetings, I encourage anybody from the Latino community to go in and then talk about those priorities and keep talking about those priorities."

As the liaison between the boards, Montemayor will be bringing concerns from the advisors and their constituents back to the trustees to help inform their decisions. Montemayor says she heard a wide array of issues at the October interest meeting.

"I heard the top priorities are safety and security, transportation accessibility, and inclusivity."

Have you been hearing any sentiment from the Latino community since it was confirmed that Trump's returning to office? I'm sure you know, but he did run with a lot of promises to deport people and a lot of blaming our country's problems on immigration. Are people expressing any kind of specific concerns regarding the incoming administration?

"I don't agree or disagree. It's just what I hear in public. I definitely have heard among some of the Latinos and immigrants that Trump being in his second presidency does spark fears due to the unknown, the talk around the mass deportation. There's so much unknown around that. So I think it's only natural that that is going to cause some fear and scary times.

Being involved in going to these Latino meetings, I think would be a really good thing for people and in the group just to hear like, if there is certain fear, then how do we work on overcoming those fears? And then, you know, you also hear Latinos voted for Trump, right? And a lot of people also mentioned there was some social issues and perception that their family values are now aligning with the Republican party.

So it was interesting to hear. Obviously there is this scariness and fear amongst a certain group. And then there was also. People who voted for the new president. I'm here just to listen to what people say and just say what I've heard."

Montemayor hopes that Latinos seeing their community members in a role like the advisory board will inspire further civic engagement.
The underrepresentation of Latinos in Carbondale isn't due to disinterest. One of the biggest barriers they face is a busy schedule. An inclusive environment can make it that much easier to participate in local affairs when free time is rare and precious.

"A lot of it is We're busy. We're surviving out here. Some people have three jobs. We work full time. Then we have kids and trying to also be involved with the kids education and then to also try to put another hat on and try to get volunteer time. I think it's really, really hard. But again, um, you can do it. And, and like I tell my kids, the Latino voice is so important.
And there are certain things that group goes through that people don't know unless you voice it. And a lot of times in order to hear your voice you got to get involved."

More information on the board and meeting times will become available as this story progresses.

Lily Jones is a recent graduate of Mississippi State University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a concentration in Broadcasting and Digital Journalism. At WMSV, MSU's college radio station, Jones served as the Public Affairs and Social Media Coordinator. When she's not travelling she hosts the news on Monday and Wednesday and is a news reporter for KDNK.