Thank you, Kevin, for that introduction.
And thank you to Melody Gonzales for her amazing leadership of the White House Hispanic Initiative.
And shoutout to the entire White House initiative team that’s here — including members of the President’s Advisory Commission on Hispanics Noel Candelaria and Evelyn de Jesus. Your commitment to this work has been tireless and each and every one of the achievements we celebrate this Hispanic Heritage Month are yours, too. I could not be more proud or more grateful. No podría estar más orgulloso!
And muchisimas gracias to each and every one of you here to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme celebrates “Pioneers of Change.”
That’s exactly what we are.
There are 65 million Latinos living in the United States. Our leadership is driving change in every space and every sector. We are teachers and doctors…entertainers and engineers…advocates and artists … government leaders and cabinet secretaries.
Make no mistake: we’re not just in the room where it happens. We’re leading the room.
I’m so proud to be part of the most diverse cabinet in our history — one of four Latinos leading critical agencies for our nation.
And wherever you go, whichever Latino leader you talk to, you always hear a version of the same thing: my success isn’t just about my journey.
It’s the journey of our parents, our grandparents, so many others who made immense sacrifices so we could have opportunity in this country. We honor those sacrifices — and we celebrate them this month, too.
I stand here today — advising the President of the United States on education — because of the courage and sacrifices of my grandparents, who took a chance trading the paradise of Puerto Rico for the projects of Connecticut so that the next generation could rise. I stand here thanks to my own father and mother, who sacrificed for their three kids, doing whatever they needed to do to give us a shot at achieving the American Dream.
These sacrifices were top of mind when I took this job.
I’ve been reflecting a bit on my early days as Secretary of Education lately, and so I want to take a moment to tell the story of when President Biden called to invite me to join his cabinet — because I think it actually captures what being Latino means to me.
At the time, I was commissioner of education in Connecticut and was working from my basement trying to reopen schools. You remember that time, right? We wore, like, half-suits. No pantalones because Zoom couldn’t catch it. I had on a chaqueta and a tie. My wife, Marissa, was home, and my children were home some of the time, too, doing hybrid school.
Anyway, I was sitting in my basement, working to get the lighting just right for the interview with the President, then with Madam Vice President. At the end, they said they would call me the next day to let me know whether I’d gotten the job.
Look, I was just honored to be able to interview with President Biden and Vice President Harris.
I did the thing we all did back in those Zoom days, just taking screenshots without letting anyone know. I had proof. I wanted receipts! Look, I really did interview with him, I promise!
The next day, I got the call. I ran upstairs with the phone in my hand because I knew my family was in the kitchen and they knew what the call was.
I put the phone on speaker. I held my wife on my left and my kids on my right. And I said lo que dios diga.
He talked for a while about what his vision is for our country and then at the end of the call, he said, “I would love for you to join our cabinet.”
Yo empece a llorar como un bobo. I’m just trying to keep it together. We as a family accepted that honor…this privilege of serving at the highest level in education. It hit me that I was accepting this on behalf of those who gave up so much so I could have this opportunity. It’s a weight, a responsibility, I’ve carried with me every day and I don’t take it for granted.
But what really stood out to me was that I could tell in that phone call that the President had faith in me, in part, because of who I am and where I came from.
To him, being Latino, a Spanish speaker, and a first-generation college student from an economically disadvantaged community were not deficits I had to overcome to qualify for this role.
They were assets. They were superpowers that had shaped my perspective on how education can open doors if we do right by our students.
That spirit has allowed me to do this job without changing who I am. I’m the same person whether I’m in the barrio or the briefing room. I’ve worn my stripes proudly — and it’s important that we continue to urge our students and young people to do the same.
We live in a broader culture of low expectations that still, too often — and in too many parts of the country — tells our young Latino students that they aren’t good enough, that fails to reflect their experience, that makes them feel like they don’t belong.
That’s unacceptable. We’ve normalized that. Too many Latino students don’t realize their full potential because of that mindset.
That’s why this administration has fought so hard to raise the bar for excellence and opportunity for Latino students.
And, amigos, I’m proud to say, we’ve delivered results, not rhetoric.
Together, we’ve not only helped our students get back to school in the wake of COVID, but we secured $130 billion — the largest single investment in public education in history — to recover and succeed academically and help them meet their mental health needs.
We built partnerships that gave more Latino students access to afterschool and summer learning.
I’m proud that our Department proposed rules to ensure Dreamers and other students can participate in federal TRIO programs — regardless of their immigration status, making up to 50,000 more students eligible for these programs that help with college preparation and financial aid.
We’ve fought to make higher education more affordable and accessible, and helped nearly 4.8 million Americans – including Latino educators and public service workers – secure billions in student loan cancellations.
Anyone here who’s had student loan relief? Raise your hand.
We’ve made historic investments in over 500 Hispanic-Serving Institutions. And the President issued an executive order creating a new White House Initiative on HSIs, something our commissioners recommended and that our community has been requesting for over 20 years. This directly responds to an important need in our community.
We’ve intentionally invested in improving educator diversity through grants to HSIs and other minority-serving institutions.
We are the first administration in history to secure federal funding … $15 million … for the Augustus Hawkins program to recruit and train more teachers of color and bilingual educators.
HSIs can go apply for these grants — and I know a lot of you know folks at HSIs, you have them in your networks, so make sure they know about it: the money is out there. It’s powerful to see someone who looks like you at the head of a classroom. We know that it’s hard to be what you can’t see.
We’ve helped teachers in Puerto Rico receive their first pay raise in over a decade, and started a process that will help transform the island’s education system so that local schools can better meet local needs – to the benefit of Puerto Rico’s amazing educators and students.
We’ve protected the civil rights of our Latino, English learning and Spanish-dominant students to ensure they are fully engaged in school.
And we have led a national movement to elevate bilingualism. Today, thanks to our efforts, all fifty states and D.C. now have a recognized Seal of Biliteracy.
This sends a message: being bilingual is a superpower. Being bicultural is a superpower.
This formalizes what we already know — and what President Biden knew that day when he offered me this job: we’re powerful because of who we are—not in spite of it.
This is what we celebrate when we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
And we also know it’s not enough to simply celebrate. We can’t just guard our progress. We’ve got to fight harder than ever to make progress – because let me tell you, the people who are looking to tear us down and defend a status quo of low expectations for Latinos sure aren’t wasting time.
In the words of the rally cry, by Andres Jimenez: Despierta Boricua! Despierta, Latino: keep fighting!
Keep lifting up our people. Let’s be proud not only of who we are but of all we have done — and, as J.Lo says, let’s get loud about it.
Tell your networks about the new Executive Order. Make sure your partners know that HSI grants, and public service loan forgiveness is out there.
Shout from the rooftops that the Biden-Harris Administration has made historic strides and will always continue to support the Latino community. We have voices and platforms: let’s make sure young Latino students know we have their backs.