Dolores Huerta: Here’s what California can do to make sure more Latinos go to college

People often ask me where I get the energy to keep showing up for marches and fighting for the economic freedom of working families. The answer is quite simple: We still have work to do.

I know that because when I march alongside Latina mothers here in California, they share with me the dreams and aspirations they have for their children. They include college education and careers that will give them stability and allow them to build wealth and give back to their communities.

Latinos make up over half of California’s students, and they will continue to shape California’s workforce and economy in the decades to come. So it’s important to ask: What are state policymakers doing to keep college accessible and affordable for Latino families?

The California Legislature has a unique opportunity to help realize the dreams and ambitions of millions of Latinos across the state by adopting the Cal Grant Equity Framework, which would expand financial aid to over 150,000 talented new college students, 95,000 of which are Latino.

Two things are very clear to me as someone who has spent decades working with farmworkers and working-class families in the Central Valley: Latino families value college education, and financial barriers keep many Latinos from pursuing their college dreams.

In 2019, Latinx students made up 43% of undergraduates in the state, comprising 1.39 million students enrolled across California’s community colleges and CSU and UC campuses. This year, at a time when the pandemic has devastated Latino families across the state, a record number of Latino students — more than 80,000 — applied to the University of California system in the hopes of pursuing their college dreams. This should send a strong message to policymakers that college degrees matter to Latino families.

Yet affordability has always been one of the biggest barriers to college education for low-income Latino families. Many Latino students are the first in their families to go to college, and they may not know how to take advantage of existing financial aid.

Many Latino students also must work full-time to support their families, especially after the pandemic exacerbated economic hardships. Some students need support not just to pay tuition but also with housing and food.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Latino college students (72%) attend one of California’s community colleges, the system that receives only 7% of the state’s Cal Grant money.

California’s financial aid system is hard to navigate and often inadequate to cover the total cost of college for Latino students. The Cal Grant Equity Framework would simplify the Cal Grant program; remove antiquated barriers that keep low-income students from accessing aid for reasons such as GPA verification and time out of high school; and provide aid for more than just tuition, especially for those within the community college system.

More important, this investment in college affordability would send a clear signal to Latino students and families across California: ¡Sí, se puede! Yes, you can pursue a college education because there is a financial aid system that will help you make it across the finish line. Yes, you can pursue a college education because state policymakers believe in you and are investing in your future. Yes, you can realize your and your parents’ dreams.

Our work is unfinished. So I will keep fighting alongside our students and their families to ensure that all of them have realistic opportunities to pursue their college dreams. I call on our state legislators to stand with us by adopting the Cal Grant Equity Framework.