Voices of the New Majority: Mario Castillo

“Service without humility is egoism.” -Gandhi

I keep the best moments of the year present in my heart… and I am grateful for each one, and for those who have carried on at my side despite adversity. Some projects will continue, others will certainly appear, but without doubt the ones that will take most of our time are those challenges for Latinos here in Sonoma: access to affordable housing, access to education, better wages and, of course, immigration reform.

But who will help Latinos to have a voice, to be at the table for the discussion of these important issues?

Sonoma Valley can take pride in having more than 150 nonprofits dedicated to improving the quality of life for the people. They address health, education, nutrition, civic service, sports, recreation, social services and much more.

For such a small town, such effort and attention from all those who serve on the boards of so many different organizations is truly admirable. Board members include teachers, politicians, business people, retired professionals, students, etc., all with the best intentions of helping.

Over the years I have witnessed how these individuals donate their time, money and efforts in the hope of “making a difference” for Latinos and others less fortunate.

Without being pessimistic, I have to recognize that even with all this effort, work and attention, there is much need for improvement. I’m no expert in how boards of directors work, but I do have years of experience working for and volunteering in organizations and groups that serve the community – churches, schools, nonprofits, among others – which gives me a perspective and some ideas as to how things could be improved.

Perhaps a good way to begin would be to invite everyone who is a member of a board of directors to fill out a self-evaluating questionnaire about the reasons that led him or her to join a board. “Good intentions” are not sufficient to accomplish substantive changes for the benefit of those they represent, not in 2016 nor the years to come. To speak for the less fortunate, you need to understand their “language” – the living reality of those who lack both capacity and opportunity. To be the voice of those less fortunate means putting one’s own interest aside, and accepting criticism as simply one element in the progress toward serving our neighbor.

Paulo Freire put it so well: “People aren’t made in silence, rather in their words, their work, their actions and in their reflections. Dialogue implies an encounter between people for the transformation of the world; so it is an existential requirement.”

It would be fantastic if the means and genuine will could be found to raise the capacity of bilingual/bicultural people genuinely interested in serving and representing their community, to facilitate their participation on boards. At present this does not seem to me possible, since apparently to be part of a board you need to have time, money, education and social status. But as Freire points out, “In some way all liberating education must depart from the actual living reality of the oppressed, since clearly that the victim is the one who best understands what is involved in a repressive society.”

Mario Castillo is a family engagement coordinator at a local school. He has lived and worked in the Springs for 28 years, and has always been interested in community engagement.