“Voces Rurales,” a Program for Latinas that Models what Reaching Out Is All About

“We can do it! We can do it! We can! We can!” Poetry by Ernie McCray

Photo from Pixabay

I find myself looking
for any hint
of hope for a better world
that might be in play
and I happened upon a wonderful example
of such the other day
as I listened to a proud Latina woman
at a community college conference
in Austin, Texas
describe, both with spirited enthusiasm
and calm eloquence,
her work with
“Voces Rurales,”
a program designed
with Latinas in rural areas in mind
in which she helps these mostly young women
tailor their academic desires
to meet their learning needs,
helping them
make their hopes and dreams
a reality
in spite of a multitude
of barriers
that gnaw at their chances for success.
 
I listened to this woman’s story
with my heart,
walking away from her session
filled with a renewed sense of hope
having just witnessed
how much small actions,
like just doing all you can
to make life better for someone,
play in creating a more hopeful world.
 
Her simple act was just to reach out
to a few folks
to help them, with little hassle as possible,
earn a college degree.
And this began to make me think about how
We the People”
considering the poor condition
our country is in
should begin, if we haven’t already,
asking ourselves what we can do,
be it small,
or grand,
to survive
and maintain hope
as our country,
like a sinking ship,
tilts in a rumbling sea,
struggling to keep from going under.
 
Trying to tug it to a safe port
is the least any of us
can do,
individually and together,
in no particular order,
and we had better get on it
with full dedication
as this
speaker I observed
exhibited unwavering devotion
to her student’s education –
 
which means there can be
no half-stepping
and lackadaisicalness
in saving a nation.
 
And as cheerleaders used to chant
at my basketball games:
“We can do it! We can do it!
We can! We can!”
 
And we did.

Ernie McCray is an activist for love and peace who acts and sings and writes both poetry and prose, a man who rises each day to do whatever he can, no matter how small or grand, to make the world better in some way.

Unapologetically.