Previous Page: Local artist Tatiana Ortiz Rubio paints a 45-foot mural on the wall of Bread and Salt, titled Stop the Spread. April 19, 2021 (Alejandro Tamayo, The San Diego Union-Tribune) “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” ¡Adelante! We must bring to this post-COVID world new hope, new energy and new determination to keep addressing the individual struggles of historically marginalized people. We must harness our collective will, ingenuity and resources to achieve meaningful social progress for us all. In the powerful words of activist César Chávez: Using Political Influence COVID-19 exposed and exacerbated many other social and economic inequities impacting Latinos. The challenge for our community is: How will we emerge from this health crisis to be a stronger, more equitable and inclusive society? As our diverse and dynamic community continues to grow in political clout and more Latinos take on leadership roles, we have the ability to meet this challenge head on. Those in positions of power and influence have a duty—and a moral obligation—to stand up and point the way; to be accountable to our constituents. Our Shared Legacy I lead the local American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and we worked to ensure the burdens of the COVID-19 outbreak and the government’s actions did not unfairly fall on our most vulnerable communities. We monitored whether government responses were rooted in science and public health needs—and not on stigma or bias, impeding basic civil liberties. Efforts must continue to ensure “We the People” means all of us. This causa to build a more just, equitable and inclusive society must be our legacy as Latinos.
222 222
San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 8 – COVID-19 Exposed Historical Inequities Chapter 8 – Facing COVID-19
223 223
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator