Letter to Editor: We need to advocate for our educators

Editor,

I have been hearing people discuss how they are mad at our teachers’ unions. The fact that people who educate our children have the legal right to unionize, gain better work environments and pay are deeply connected to the Ludlow Massacre.

We here in Trinidad live in the shadow of Ludlow and its historic significance. The statue of Louis Tikkas, a miner and activist, stands in our downtown area reminding us of the man who paid the ultimate price in order to have a voice and control of his own work environment.

The very first school district of Colorado is here in Trinidad and our mascot is the Miner, a proud reflection of our culture and union past. Now that our teachers across the country are fighting for better work environments during a deadly pandemic and getting flack for it, well… it saddens me.

I am so grateful that President Joe Biden has declared to all states’ governors that teachers need to be considered essential employees and therefore will have immediate access to vaccinations. This will help get our kids back to school and provide our teachers with the protection they deserve. We entrust our most precious possessions with these educators, we in turn should advocate for their personal safety while they provide an invaluable service for our youth and our parents.

It has been a tough year for all of us, kids especially; but the light is starting to get brighter at the end of the tunnel. We as Americans have seen hard times before and we will get through this like we have other struggles in the past; but we must do this with solutions and not finger pointing.

We need to advocate for our educators to make sure they get what they need so our youth can get back to a proper learning environment… classrooms.

Carlos R. Lopez

Trinidad