Youth leaders from Jovenes Unidos take on the state government, lobbying for the Tuition Equity Bill at the Colorado State Capitol.Welcome to Padres & Jovenes Unidos!
With roots in the struggle for educational justice, Padres Unidos has evolved into a multi-issue organization led by people of color who work for equality and justice in education, racial justice for youth, immigrant rights and the right to quality healthcare for all. Jovenes Unidos, the youth initiative of Padres Unidos came next, emerging out of the fight for educational justice for all children. Both Padres and Jovenes Unidos challenge the root cause of discrimination, racism and inequity by exposing the economic, social and institutional basis for injustice as well as developing effective strategies and tactics to change it. Parents and students are empowered to organize, develop new leadership and realize meaningful change
Recent News:
Call to Action: Pass Immigration Reform Now!
Call to Action: Join Our Vigil for Humane Immigration Reform & Tell Congress Reform is Needed Now!
Today, December 15, 2009, Congressman Luis Gutierrez and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus introduced their immigration reform bill, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security Act and Prosperity (CIR ASAP Act), a comprehensive plan that clearly lays out many of the realistic solutions that we have been pushing for.
Our work has gotten us this far and Congressman Gutierrez has kept his commitment but the fight isn't over. Now, it is time to step it up. Now is a crucial moment for our movement and we must come together to show why these reforms cannot wait!
Send a message to Congress to support the CIR ASAP Act. Go to the link below to send your message:
Padres & Jovenes Unidos Annual Pachanga a Great Success!
On Friday October 23rd, a packed crowd of over 300 parents, students, community members, elected officials and friends celebrated the Freedom to Learn Campaign of Padres & Jovenes Unidos. Everyone had a great time eating posole, dancing and celebrating the growing movement for educational justice. We thank all the parents and youth who helped make this such a wonderful event and our Pachanga Sponsors:
Advancement Project, D.C.
American Friends Service Committee
Center for Multicultural Excellence of DU
Colorado Children's Campaign
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
Colorado Progressive Coalition
Councilman Rick Garcia
Councilman Doug Linkhart
Councilman Paul Lopez
Councilwoman Judy Montero
Destiny Hair Design
Mike Dino...click on "Read More"
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT ITS BEST!
Campaign Kick-off for
Accountable Public Schools!
To view the video of the press conference click on (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av28uBTyRFs). We thank COLOR for filming this and making it accessible.
On Tuesday, August 18, Padres & Jovenes Unidos, the Latina Initiative and Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) held a successful press conference to announce the kick-off to the Campaign for Accountable Public Schools. The coalition announced that it will be collecting 30,000 pledges from people across the city to remind the Denver Public Schools that our communities will be holding the district accountable. The press conference emphasized the campaign's platform.
Sign the Pledge!
Agree we should hold the district accountable?
Commerce City Joins the Fight for Educational Justice
Padres Unidos has now joined forces with parents in Commerce City, Colorado, taking up the fight for the freedom to learn in the Adams 14 school district. The members of the new Commerce City chapter have started on the task of recruiting a strong parent membership and leadership base which will allow the chapter to grown and begin bringing badly needed reform to the district.
Voices of the Leaders
"The most imortant part of being a member of the Padres Unidos group is being able to inform myself in order to relay that information to the rest of the community and to be able to learn to communicate with the [school] district administration, people of other organizations and, most importantly, with our community."
Maria I Avila
Cesar Chavez to Open in Denver in 2009
After months of struggle, parents, students and community members packed the DATA building on Tuesday, March, 31st to celebrate their victory in ensuring Caesar Chavez Academy's place in Northwest Denver in the fall of 2009.
The school will offer an exceptional educational alternative for K-8 students in our community, particularly those losing their school, as the Denver Academy of Arts and Technology closes at the end of the school year. Cesar Chavez Academy will open its doors for the first time in Denver in the former DATA building.
Padres Unidos Declares Defeat of SB 170
On Monday, April 6th, the Colorado Senate voted 16 to 18 to defeat the Tuition Equity Bill, SB 170. After hours of debate, some of it inspiring and eloquent, some of it ugly and xenophobic, the Senate voted against the bill with 5 Democrats siding with the Republicans. This bill would have allowed all students graduating from Colorado high schools the opportunity to attend college at in-state tuition rates.
Tuition Equity Bill Passes Senate Appropriations
The Tuition Equity Bill (SB 170) passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday, April 1, in a 5-4 vote.
Padres y Jovenes Unidos thanks Senators Mary Hodge, Suzanne Williams, Paula Sandoval, Abel Tapia and Bob Bacon for their support of the bill and "yes" votes during yesterday's proceedings. The bill will next be presented on the Senate floor.
The bill's hearing date was changed to Wednesday from Friday, in an effort to ease a heavy bill load that the committee had accumulated.
Gov. Ritter Promises Support for Tuition Equity Bill
In a statement released this week Gov. Bill Ritter announced that he supports the Tuition Equity Bill and will sign it if it reaches his desk in its current form.
"As Governor, I have long supported tuition equity as a matter of principal and policy... For me, this is about building a talented and well-educated workforce and strengthening our economy," the Governor said in the statement. Ritter's official support comes as the bill is passed into the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Padres y Jovenes Unidos thanks the Governor for his support of this legislation, which will be so beneficial both for Colorado's students and its economy. We urge the senators of the Committee on Appropriations to follow suit and pass the bill on to the Senate floor.
Education Committee Passes Tuition Equity
The Senate Committee on Education passed Sen. Chris Romer's Tuition Equity Bill on to the Senate as a whole by a vote of 5-3 on Thursday afternoon.
The decision came after about four hours of testimony and debate during which 18 people from both sides of the issue spoke about the bill.
The bill passed with two major amendments. The first removed the Colorado Opportunity Fund from the application of the bill, meaning that undocumented students will not be eligible for state financial aid. The second will require undocumented students attending college for in state tuition fees to also apply for U.S. citizenship. These amendments both remove the fiscal note from the bill and make it more bipartisan.
Northwest Denver Community Demands High Performance Schools
Padres y Jovenes Unidos, along with parents and students of the Denver Arts and Technology Academy (DATA) demanded that the school, which will be closed due to financial mismanagement, be replaced with the high performing charter school Cesar Chavez Academy at a press conference in front of DATA Thursday afternoon.
The conference was attended by several members of the press as well as about 35 current DATA students and parents carrying signs that read, "Cesar Chavez Academy in NW Denver Now!" and "Honk for Good Schools."
