Thursday, June 25, 2009

Adelfa Callejo’s Obama remarks could scuttle Dallas school naming

By Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista

Adelfa Callejo

It was exactly a year ago this month when the Dallas City Council found itself in hot water after not honoring a poll allowing residents to vote on what to rename Industrial Boulevard, as part of the city's redevelopment of the Trinity River Corridor.

The name that garnered 52 percent of the vote was Cesar Chavez. While most Dallas Latinos didn't see anything wrong with that choice, there were more than a few members on the Dallas City Council, and non-Latino city residents, who were less than enthusiastic about it.

One of the main arguments against using Chavez's name was that he didn't have a personal tie to Dallas. Such an argument implies that as long as a person has a history with the city, renaming a street or a building in their honor should be an easy task.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

According to The Dallas Morning News, it seems some Dallas Independent School District Trustees are strongly objecting to naming a new Pleasant Grove school after Adelfa Callejo, a Dallas lawyer and trailblazer for Latino civil rights in Dallas.

Why?

Because she spoke her mind during the presidential election and predicted Obama's skin color would prevent him from winning votes.

Needless to say, Callejo's remarks angered not just blacks and whites but she triggered a substantial backlash from the local Latino community as well. She was roundly criticized for holding on to past grudges when strong tensions did exist between Latinos and blacks. She was accused by the younger Latino generation of being out of touch with today's realities.

These observations, in my opinion, are all the more reason that a school should be named after Callejo because it proves she does have a history with the city.

If it wasn't for Adelfa Callejo, the Latino voice would not have been heard as loudly as it was during an era when people of color were supposed to be invisible. Because she was here in Dallas, Callejo and others challenged the system of at-large elections in electing Dallas City Council members -- a system that diluted minority voting power.

Because she was here in Dallas, after lobbying six Dallas district superintendents, there was finally a dropout prevention program implemented in DISD.

Because she was here, Callejo became a symbol that Latinos, especially Latinas, are smart, educated and willing to give of their time as she accepted appointments to serve on numerous boards and commissions.

Because she was here, more women and minority-owned businesses now have a fair chance to win a concessions contract at DFW International Airport.

Being a political and social activist since earning her law degree in 1961 from SMU has not made Adelfa Callejo popular or well-liked, even among all Dallas Latinos. But it has garnered her undeniable respect for standing up and making herself a public target for unpopular issues when the easier thing to do would have been to play it safe by keeping quiet.

To deny her the honor of naming a school after her is not only intolerant of her political views but seeks to diminish the role she has played in the history of this city when it comes to civil rights for Latinos.

Adelfa Callejo will be forever linked to the progress Latinos made in Dallas. It would be a gross injustice to pretend she never existed.

Pegasus News content partner - Latina Lista

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