Five years ago, I looked at my daughter’s face with concerned eyes. I worried about what the future held for her male Latino classmates. Predictive statistics like high school completion, college degree attainment and incarceration rates painted a grim future for these soon-to-be men.
Yet, there was a growing glimmer of hope. The world was abuzz about a new, combined effort to address some of the underlying issues young men of color faced. Increasing economic, mental health and mentoring resources were just some of the issues various groups were looking to resolve collaboratively.
Fast forward five years the issues are more complicated thanks to defining events such as non-gender, inclusive Latinx labels, the #MeToo Movement, and the Trump era. While some progress has been made, the institutional forces that seek to undermine Latino males and other men of color are as powerful as ever.