Andres: Experience, Advocacy and Community Service
“Most children don’t fail. They just give up,” says Andres. “For some of my peers who growing up experienced a policy of “sink or swim, you’re on your own” didn’t work - and it still doesn’t. In tough times, like today, this is even more the case.”
Andres’ key priorities as a legislator will be:
* Ensuring access for all to life-long education, starting with universal pre-K
* Changing the tone of political debate in Richmond
* Protecting civil and human rights, insuring equal rights and opportunities
* Assisting our community’s most vulnerable
“This attitude of ’sink or swim, you’re on your own’ attitude is why Virginia Republicans’ voted in April to give back $125 million of federal stimulus funds for Virginia’s unemployment insurance. This attitude is the opposite of everything that Arlingtonians - and I - believe,” says Andres.
Andres’ judgment on why people succeed reflects his life experiences.
* Andres is a first generation American, whose parents were immigrant farm workers living in small rural communities in Texas and California. They saved to buy their home - and all four children graduated from high school, three from college, and two (including Andres) earned their Masters degrees.
* Andres chose Arlington as his home thirty-three years ago when he began a 20-plus year career with the U.S. Department of Education. Andres chose a career with the U.S. Department of Education because he knew education was his path to achieving the American Dream - and wanted to make that path was available for others.
* Having lived in small, farm communities and cities, he knows how they differ and what their people share in common.
* Andres started school not speaking English ¡V and without benefit of bilingual or ESL education programs.
* Andres could attend college because of private scholarships, federal grants and part-time jobs were available.
* Andres has worked since college days in community service - providing people the skills, support and education to enhance self-respect, to create successful lives in America, and to live politically empowered lives.
Andres: Virginia’s First Latino Member of the General Assembly?
* If Arlington voters elect Andres Delegate from the 47th District, he will be the first Latino to serve in Virginia’s General Assembly - a fact that would build upon the successes of Arlington and the Virginia Democratic Party in reaching out to all voters - especially those who often feel excluded from the political process.
Building Bridges and Coalitions
Andres entered the private sector after retiring from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) - where he oversaw grants awarded to colleges and universities to serve low-income, minority and disadvantaged college students, including institutional grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and Mainstream colleges and universities. Andres worked first as Executive Director of the National Association of Hispanic Publications and now works as Arlington’s Executive Director of the Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC).
* Latino-African American collaboration: In response to fights among Latinos and African American youth in Arlington in the mid-1990s, Andres developed the African American-Hispanic Coalition with John Robinson of Arlington’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, sponsoring programs for County middle schools in which students shared their own cultural backgrounds and experiences as a way to begin conversations and develop respect for each others’ differences.
* Latino-Jewish Advocacy: As Chair of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO), Andres has worked with the Washington Chapter of the American Jewish Committee on their annual joint Richmond advocacy efforts for social justice. Together, they have supported legislation that protects rights and opportunities for immigrants and the poor.
* Latino-Jewish outreach- Cultural understanding through familiarity: Andres traveled to Israel in 2006 with Project Interchange, an institute of the American Jewish Committee that provides leaders with an understanding of Israel and the pursuit of Middle East peace.
Quick Facts About Andres:
-30+ years living in Arlington
-20+ years working for U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov) – Office of Post-Secondary Education (retired)
-20+ years of Arlington civic and political activism – on issues including affordable housing, education, and civil and human rights.
-Former Executive Director and CEO, National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP, www.nahp.org), a Washington-based non-profit.
-Since February 2004, Executive Director of Arlington’s Shirlington Employment & Education Center (SEEC), an organization overseeing the hiring of day laborers at the SEEC Office and Pavilion.
-Responsible for overseeing vocational and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, clothing drives and crisis referral services for SEEC clients.
Ten things you might not know about Andres
