V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry | 41 fact that many so-called Hispanic “dropouts” in the 1990s and early 2000s actually con- sisted of immigrants who had arrived in their late teens or 20s to work and did not have the equivalent of a high school degree. As the number of young immigrants, especially from México, has declined since 2008 due to the financial crisis and increased border security, the proportion of young “immigrant workers” has also declined. Nevertheless, Hispanics still have the highest dropout, illiteracy, and low literacy rates among the major ethnic/ racial groups in the United States. While the dream of a college education for themselves and/or their children is still deeply held, many Hispanic parents do not know how to set their children on a path to achieve that goal, and they see no financial path for- ward to obtain a degree for themselves, in no small part because they must work long hours just to meet basic needs for themselves and their families. A Catholic education for their children seems like an impossible dream for most, so they resign themselves to sending their children to underperforming public schools and have no idea how to diminish the risks of their children losing motivation or get- ting lost amid a tidal wave of children with- out basic skills. For many immigrants, there is a need to learn basic literacy and language skills before they can even contemplate work- ing toward a G.E.D., so more often than not they lose hope and give up on education. At the other end of the spectrum, people who have earned professional degrees in their country of origin are unable to practice their profession here because of their immigration status or the lack of reciprocity in recognizing degrees and credentials. Linguistic and cultural competencies. Hand in hand with the lack of English language skills comes the lack of understanding and competence in working within the preva- lent culture of the United States. If language is difficult to acquire, culture is even more so. There are things most Americans take for granted about which Latino immigrants do not have any knowledge, and this poses daily risks for getting into trouble or making mistakes that are harmful to their wellbeing without even realizing it, including in the work place, at school, at home, in business, in law, and even at church. Many Hispanics/ Latinos also feel powerless to challenge injus- tices in their communities due to unfamiliarity with political systems at all levels and a lack of formation on how to engage in the public square. This is compounded by the contem- porary reality of a culture that has taken a turn toward anti-immigrant bias, xenophobia, and overt racism. These are challenges that the Hispanic community cannot overcome sim- ply by its own efforts, yet it cannot cease to engage in refuting biases and reaffirming its own dignity and value. Harmful attitudes. A number of voices spoke about attitudes that have become obstacles to the progress of the Hispanic/Latino com- munity. They include some internalized atti- tudes such as low self-esteem, being judg- mental, laziness, loss of a sense of community, selfishness, materialism, giving up, fear, workaholism, indifference, inferiority, shame, loneliness, jealousy or rivalry, and negativ- ity or boastfulness among leaders. Others were attitudes projected onto them by oth- ers such as discrimination and racism, bully- ing, competition, the political climate, lack of cultural sensitivity or tolerance, generalized Echoes of the Encounters in the Peripheries