Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:00:00]:
Welcome, advocates, to another episode of Leading Equity Podcast, a podcast that focuses on supporting educators with the tools and resources necessary to ensure equity at their schools. Alright. Today's special guest is Edgar Palacio. So without further ado, Edgar, thank you so much for joining us today.

Edgar Palacios [00:00:19]:
Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad to be here, and I'm looking forward to the conversation.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:00:24]:
Let's do it. Alright. So we were kinda chopping it up before we hit record about what's going on in our country, in The United States, and some some laws that have been passed that impacting our schools, specifically our students that are undocumented. And we're gonna jump into that conversation. But before we do, I'd love for you to share a little bit about yourself and what you currently do. Yeah. Well, first

Edgar Palacios [00:00:45]:
and foremost, again, thank you so much for allowing us allowing me to be here. I'm Edgar Palacios. I'm the founder of two organizations. One, the Latinx Education Collaborative, which is an organization that started thinking about how do we increase the representation of Latino educators in k 12. And then the other is Revolucino Lu Cativa, RevEd for short. And it is an organization that's really interested in how do we build power within the Latino community around issues of education. And so underneath the work, we really think about representation as being something that is super important to our young people and ensuring that they have access to adults who understand the culture, understand the community, can make decisions that might improve that that the the community as well. And so that's how that's the work that I do.

Edgar Palacios [00:01:28]:
We've been doing that work since 2016 as an idea. We formalized the organizations in 2018, and we've been running in on that journey ever since. Our work is important because we also have to acknowledge that 25% of students in k twelve today are Latino. That number is growing significantly and will continue to grow significantly over the next five to ten years. We are also seeing here locally in Kansas City where I'm based, 30% of our our students in Kansas City public school systems are Latino. Across the border, which is just five minutes away into in the state of Kansas, sixty two percent of students in Kansas City, Kansas public schools are Latino. And so those numbers are not gonna disappear anytime soon, and that's why we exist. We think about how do we create those spaces where young people feel like they can can can attain success when we think representation is a part of that.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:02:17]:
There we go. Representation is a part of that, and that's very important. And and if we had the time, I could dig into, like, just some of the discoveries I've had as a school, going back into schools and being a principal again here in Phoenix. And one of the things that's really been on my radar is just kinda looking at the campuses. So I have three campuses that I oversee, and the demographics look differently. However, overall, our demographics are primarily black and brown, but I have one campus that is, I would say, about 90% Hispanic. And when I start thinking about and kinda talking to some of my staff about the ICE, I don't know what to call it. It it's it's I try not it was just like it's hard not to pay attention to certain things, but then it's just all over social media.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:03:03]:
But, like, the idea of they basically can have the right, if you will, to to come into school and take students that are undocumented. And so that is something that is a concern of mine and concern of my staff and, of course, the students as well. What are some of the things that you're seeing? What are some things that you're working on that you can kinda do to support other educators out there?

Edgar Palacios [00:03:25]:
Yeah. First and foremost, I'd like to say that we are all in a learning mode. We're learning the language. We're learning the laws. We're learning the policies. We're learning what's what are some helpful things to do. We're learning what are some unhelpful things to do. This is a great opportunity and great moment.

Edgar Palacios [00:03:39]:
I say that knowing like, understanding the context, but it is a great opportunity for us to kinda just remain remain open to learning and understanding that things are gonna shift, and they're shifting quickly. And so that's first and foremost. Secondly, one thing that I'm learning as a leader in this moment is that we have to rely on people who understand know your rights training.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:03:59]:
We

Edgar Palacios [00:04:00]:
have organizations in Kansas City like AIR, which is the advocates for immigrants rights and reconciliation, KS MODA, which is the Kansas Missouri dream alliance, and other groups. They are actively doing know your rights training. Just they're verifying, like, sightings of ICE. They're helping prepare leaders in our community to ensure that we do the right things and that we also understand, like, what we can or cannot do. And so I even hearing the the new policy by president Trump around hospitals and schools not being safe zones anymore, that there's still a responsibility for educators and principals, the folks who are in charge to say, here here's what our policy is gonna look like. Here's what happens when somebody from ICE comes to the door. You don't have to let them in. You have to check their warrants, making sure that the warrants are the proper it's proper documentation.

Edgar Palacios [00:04:47]:
These are people that are gonna, you know, still they're still guests in your in your building. And so organizing and partnering with local organizations that are have been doing this for years and have been prepping for these moments is is what I would say that is really important and figuring out how to connect those dots. I also think that one thing that I'm really proud of of seeing is some of the school districts and systems and their statements saying that they are committed to ensuring that young people will be safe on campus, and they're also proactively listing some of the steps that they're taking to ensure that that happens. That that goes a long way in establishing trust, particularly if you're doing that in multiple languages. If you serve a a student demographic that is a multilingual, getting that message out and ensuring that parents and and families in the community knows that these are still gonna be safe places for folks is is really helpful. So we've been supporting some folks on that. It's also important in this moment that we understand that rest is radical, and we have to take care of ourselves. We have to seek joy and joyful moments in in this time, and we have to create spaces for that.

Edgar Palacios [00:05:50]:
And so as an organization, we're really thinking about how do how are we, one, creating spaces where people can come in and just share what's going on with their with their lives and then figuring out what kind of supports mental health support people need. That is not our direct scope of work, and we have a responsibility in this moment to say, clearly, you got a lot going on. Clearly, like, there's other issues here that we're facing. And so, like, how do we get you some additional supports to make sure that your your mindset is right? Even in the last week, to become depressed, to become confused, to become like, what's the point of all this, particularly when it's just all flooding in at all times? So, yeah, I don't think our responsibility goes away. We can continue to say, like, these are the spaces that I have power or influence over, and these are the ways that I can keep our community safe and still not create additional harm in other ways to to folks. So those are some some initial thoughts that I that I have.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:06:42]:
Thoughts. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. And one of the things that stood out to me in some of those initial thoughts was making a statement, and this is something that I have not done. So this is that this is again, this is good feedback for me. So that's all my to do list starting today, Sunday.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:07:00]:
That's what I'm gonna be working on tomorrow is putting out a statement. Why do you think that statement is so important for us to to do that?

Edgar Palacios [00:07:08]:
What? I I struggle with it. So I have lived in a world where statements are placed, and then the values are not aligned with those statements. Yeah. But I do think that right now, there's an opportunity not just to state, hey. I believe in these things, but also just stating the process that you're taking. Because I think having clarity and transparency around that helps to start to, like, helps to to build trust, which would which is lacking in this moment. And one thing that I'm learning is that if you are not controlling your narrative, somebody else is controlling it for you. So let's say an incident happens at your school, and we all live in community, and we know that things travel quickly in community.

Edgar Palacios [00:07:46]:
And so you want to have people to be able to point something or point to something to say, like, hey. Like, maybe let's slow down a little bit. Here's what they said that they were going to do. Let's maybe check-in. That that's a helpful thing. It also helps your advocates and your and your champions also help, again, ease the tension that we're seeing. And it also helps you think about it clearly. Like, you as a leader, like, writing that down on paper helps you have some clarity for that moment if and when it does happen to say, like, oh, okay.

Edgar Palacios [00:08:12]:
We got we've planned for this moment. I mean, we actually have it on paper. Did that those are some reasons why the statement is important now. Also, you're you're I would say you're you're leaders in community. And so my hope is that by having schools and systems do this, that you're also encouraging and demonstrating it for other people and that they're taking the responsibility and time to put out those statements themselves. This is how we're going to act during this time. Here's what we're gonna continue to do. Here's if you have any questions or concerns, here's who to talk to immediately.

Edgar Palacios [00:08:41]:
Those are some ways that I that that just helps build trust.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:08:44]:
I find it interesting that you you mentioned that you kinda struggle with the idea of statements. And and I'm with you. Stay like, we can say stuff all the time, but if there's no action built behind it, then what's the point of saying that? Sometimes people do do things just to say that they did it, the check off box. It really needs to be very intentional.

Edgar Palacios [00:09:04]:
Yeah. I agree. I'm I'm I'm sitting here disappointed in some ways, just as a human. Forget me as a leader in a community. Forget me as running organizations. I'm looking at this moment in time. I'm seeing anti DEI bills come down at the federal level, at the state level. Locally, we're debating, like, what does that look like? And it's like we kinda just forgot that one.

Edgar Palacios [00:09:23]:
There was this moment between the pandemic and today where, like, we thought diversity was a good thing. We said we were you said diversity was a good thing. We said that we cared about black and brown people, like, that we were gonna do these things, that we're gonna condemn police violence. We're gonna do all these things, and, like, we're gonna make America a better place. Oh, okay. I don't know.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:09:41]:
I'm not gonna say it. No.

Edgar Palacios [00:09:45]:
You said that's

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:09:45]:
up.

Edgar Palacios [00:09:48]:
And here we are within the first week of an administration. Like, you're starting to see people actively take out DEI Yeah. Departments, issues, all that other stuff. And how quickly we forgot that, like, we need diversity, equity, inclusion initiatives. And, again, I'm talking off the cuff and just more personally here. Like, the people that benefit from those policies don't cease to exist. You can eliminate the actions, but, like, the the inequities and who are designed to benefit from those things, like, they just don't go away. And so what are the solutions? Like, what does it look like? I'll give you a good example of kind of in the higher education pipeline.

Edgar Palacios [00:10:24]:
In the state of Missouri, we have an attorney general who is doing a phenomenal job of scaring institutions like universities and saying, like, we're gonna come after all your public dollars if you don't eliminate DEI departments and whatnot and if you don't provide scholarships with the without concern or or to race and all this other stuff. And who do you think, like, goes to like, what like, we are eliminating and closing up opportunities for young people to, like, think that these things are possible. So I know it's intentional. I understand that there is a group of people in power that are excited about these moments, but I also just think it's really it just lacks strategic vision for the future because populations are still growing. Like, this country will be majority minority not too long from now, and we're just we're just headed for greater attention. So

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:11:12]:
Folks, I it's important that we mention, Edgar, that we're recording this on today is January, so it's only been a week since the new administration has come in. So Yeah. This is not gonna air for a few weeks or so, about a month now. I'm just thinking, like, the timing wise. You're like, yo. Y'all just now you know, this is just, this so this is fresh, I guess. Yeah. Fresh for us that's on our minds.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:11:36]:
One of the things that I went ahead and did, because I I'm I'm just curious to kinda get your take on this, again, thinking from a an administrator's lens, is, I jumped on the ACLU site to just kinda see what's going on, some recommendations that are out there. So I'm gonna share this on the screen.

Edgar Palacios [00:11:54]:
Yeah.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:11:54]:
And it it kinda talks about know your rights. So if you're not familiar with this information, folks, please and I'll leave a link in the show notes so you can kinda look into this. But it talks about how to reduce risk to yourself, stay calm, don't run, argue, resist, or obstruct the officer. Even if you believe your rights are being violated, keep your hands where police can see them. And that's across the board, especially folks of color. We kinda already know those things. But it it's good to to be reminded about that. But what I think is really important is where it talks about your rights.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:12:26]:
So let me see if I can kinda make this a little bit bigger here so that it it it shows a little bit better. But it talks about you have the right to remain silent. If you are not a US citizen and an immigration agent requests your immigration papers, you must show them if you have them with you. And if you're over 18, carry your papers with you all the time. And then it talks about what to do if you're in the encounter. What are some things that you know about Edgar from an administrator's side? And I I know you mentioned you don't have to let folks in unless they have a warrant. What are some other things that you might be aware of in regards to, let's say, I'm a school principal or an administrator and an ICE shows up? What are some things we should know about?

Edgar Palacios [00:13:03]:
The training is so important. And I I would encourage any administrator right now, even if this is late February where this is airing and maybe things have improved dramatically and, like, ICE is the one that's right. What has changed? It's still important to partner with folks on the ground, first and foremost, who are understanding who understand and know your rights training and, like, that you're building a relationship with them. Because, ultimately, let's say you have an encounter, and this is right? ICE is at your front step. They may not have the warrant that they need in order to be there. You also have to figure out how to organize in community. There has to you should have a contact outside of your school that's able to come in and support. You should have advocates on the ground who are organizing some shape, way, or form that they can help with the situation and and also help prevent any more harm from happening.

Edgar Palacios [00:13:48]:
So in Kansas City, for example, there's a great organization called Surge KC. It's called Showing Up for Racial Justice Kansas City. And it's a group of white folks who are allied to these issues. And they are also planning on, like, how do we intervene? How do we interrupt? How do we also use our privilege to make sure that young people are safe? So that's one thing that I would say. In Phoenix, there's a great organization called All In Ed. You may be familiar with it. And they are doing parent trainings. If I'm not mistaken, Stephanie Parra runs that organization.

Edgar Palacios [00:14:17]:
She'll be, I'm sure, be able to connect you to folks on the ground in the Phoenix area, but I do think it is about understanding your your your community, understanding who provides these resources, and then training on them. Unfortunately, I think, having a simulation or two, so you're, like, you have some practice in. So when it if and when it does happen in real life, you're not making the mistakes that you would be on the first time around. That that those are recommendations that I would make. So being intentional about it, having the internal conversations with educators and being aligned what that looks like. But, also, here's here's the other thing. One thing that I'm learning and that I've been a little ignorant too is that, like, not every educator carries these values either. And so That's a

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:14:59]:
good point.

Edgar Palacios [00:15:00]:
Like, these are the times to have those conversations, and I know that administrators have to use they have to be cautious in the way that they're moving and cautious with, like, how they're incorporating all perspectives. But I do think it's a great opportunity to understand, like, who was on the team and who was not and then figuring out what that looks like as well. Right? Because how do you train for that? How do you develop people to understand these issues? How do you train for the fact that, like, our biggest priority is young people in this moment and their safety? And yeah. So I do think, like, I assume that we live in a world where, like, most people agree that, I mean, ice show up to your front step is not an ideal situation for anybody. And I'm also curious about the people who might be teaching today that are like, no. No. No. Like, they absolutely should be here and, like, let's go help and support them.

Edgar Palacios [00:15:45]:
So I think that this is a time for a lot of those tense conversations that are gonna pop up, and you're gonna know who you're you're who you're working with. And that that that is even more frightening because these issues are bigger than just immigration. Now we're talking about curriculum. Now we're talking about, internalized belief systems around kids. Now we're talking about all these other issues that are highlighted by an ICE interaction. But really just say, like, do you actually care about all students? Do you understand that most, if not all students, have the opportunity to learn? When we're talking about equity here, like, this is such a great opportunity to see, like, who values it and who doesn't. And I just fear that, like, not everybody is on in in alignment with that. So

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:16:28]:
Bro, you you bring up such a point that I did not even think about. You and I are having this conversation. Folks that are listening to the show are they know what my show unless this is their first time listening to this show Yeah. They kinda know what they kinda know what to expect from my content. So I am assuming, and we are assuming that everybody that's listening, everybody's at the school is about that life and really cares. But you're right. There could be staff members at our schools that yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:16:59]:
We should we should be doing that. It's about time. And I didn't even think about that because, again, I'm just like, to me, if you're in front of kids, you you should care about all kids, like you said. Like, all kids. No matter what their background, whatever it is, they're in your classroom, they're in your school. We love them. We should love them. But then and and, you know, a lot of schools, we try our best not to talk about politics and things like that because it it could ruffle feathers, and that could be a whole another thing.

Edgar Palacios [00:17:28]:
Yeah.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:17:29]:
So, we're we're really are making a lot of assumptions at this moment. And, again, we're about a month out before this publishes. And for all we know, things will will be better. This whole conversation will be pointed. But I didn't think about it that way.

Edgar Palacios [00:17:41]:
I I gotta jump in, and I I think something I something that that I have to remind myself is that, like, this is systemic. It it's not just one person who's leading these ideas. It's a a group of people that are working together to make sure that these policies, that these issues, that the rights are being undermined and underestimated in so many different ways. And these are systems that existed for longer than just last week and longer than the last four years and longer than the last a hundred years. Right? And so I'm hopeful that people understand that they still have power. I'm hopeful that educators and people on the ground understand that, like, there's still work to be done. I'm hopeful that they understand that it's not pointless or hopeless. It's difficult.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:18:21]:
Sure.

Edgar Palacios [00:18:21]:
It's draining. But the reality is, like, I heard this said on somebody admire. It was like, we're on the verge of a new civil rights movement. Like, they're they're just simply saying, like, like, I didn't think that I would ever be a part of a new emerging civil rights movement, and here's, like, where we're headed. And that's really just hit me because we fixed racism back in the sixties. I don't know if you'll notice, but, like, in the sixties and the seventies, racism was, like, done. And here we are.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:18:46]:
This is someone told you that it was done in the sixties and seventies?

Edgar Palacios [00:18:49]:
I think we operate as a country, like, that these are issues that are no longer, you know, important or relevant. I think we operate under the fact that, like

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:18:57]:
On paper, we use

Edgar Palacios [00:18:58]:
Is it on paper? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:18:59]:
Because Oh, okay. Oh, okay. Okay.

Edgar Palacios [00:19:01]:
I hear people talking about that out loud. Right? Like, it has not been my experience.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:19:05]:
Yeah. I was like, wait. Yeah.

Edgar Palacios [00:19:07]:
But I've heard people say that you're like, this is not an issue anymore. Sure. And we operate in education like that sometimes. Because, like, here we are worried about, I don't know, like, black history. We're worried about Latino history, and that's what's being taught to our schools. And we looked at the 1776 pry like, all this other crazy stuff that's happened, and that's just a continuation of this. Like, we're we're gonna continue to experience this, and I that's what I hear. Like, put on your put on the batteries because, like, you got work to do.

Edgar Palacios [00:19:34]:
And it just doesn't we can't stop fighting in this moment. We can't stop organizing in this moment, and we can't stop. This is a great opportunity to build relationships with community that you may have not traditionally worked with in the past. So

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:19:46]:
Would you recommend and then if I'm off base, let me know. Stop. Right? Would you because I I I was just talking to my safety committee the other day, and we're talking about the next drills that we do. So we we do, you know, your your traditional fire drills. We do your traditional active shooter drills. Yeah. Should we add in

Edgar Palacios [00:20:05]:
You know, it's interesting. I actually I I I do think that there should be some training around what happens. And I also this is where I would pull in some experts in the community to see, like, what's going on only because this is real trauma. And if you do have young people who are on the grounds and they are happen to be undocumented and people don't know that or, like, there's we serve kids that are part of mixed status families. I would hate to also create unnecessary fear, but I do think that working with with local on the ground community organizers who understand these issues, they're gonna have a better take about what that looks like. And I do I do think practice is important. And so if there's a way of doing a simulation that does not cause additional harm within community, that is important. But, again, there are people who are much smarter and brighter than me on what this looks like, and I just come as a real consequences to young people who who who might be afraid of the of these moments.

Edgar Palacios [00:20:58]:
So I

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:20:59]:
and I'm with you. I'm with you on that. Because even the the active shooter, you gotta be very sensitive with that, especially with that's a whole another lane of of safety concern that we're seeing a lot more. So those those kind of things still happen. So what I'm hearing is probably your best, especially if you're not just well versed in this, is to start looking on the local level. Find some organizations that are offering support that this is what they're doing, and they can collaborate with you, form those partnership. That's that's to me where's where things should get started.

Edgar Palacios [00:21:33]:
Yeah. Yeah. Those experts are there. In in places like Arizona, there's there's a lot of organizations that are working collaboratively and collectively on that. In places in the Midwest, we might have fewer, although the ones that we do are incredibly talented and are working twenty four seven right now to make sure community is safe. Again, if you're a school leader, this is an opportunity again to start searching locally and start building relationships with the local Latino community. And I hesitate saying that only because immigration issues are not just Latino and Hispanic issues. In Kansas City, we're seeing young people from all over the world.

Edgar Palacios [00:22:06]:
We're seeing influx of students from East Africa Eastern Africa. We're seeing an influx of students from North South America, the Venezuelan Colombian countries. So, like, it's it's a it's a worldwide issue. It's not just a a Latino Mexican issue. And so that's something that I'd like to remind people that, like, there's a community of folks that are being negatively impacted by this. And, also, even if you are part of a if if you're a citizen or you have status, like, these issues impact you directly. The negative rhetoric around immigration and the negative impact of that impacts us all, not just not just people who don't have status.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:22:42]:
Yeah. And I would agree that it's not just our Hispanic communities, Latinx communities. However, a lot of them are being like, this is kinda like a lot of our the the target is is going that direction. Yes. There's absolutely folks from different countries. You got folks coming in from Ukraine. I I didn't see ICE, regulations going in to to raid for Ukrainians. I'm I'm just just saying.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:23:08]:
So but, yes, you are absolutely correct on that. So look for local folks. Now what if I have let's say I'm in a rural area and I don't have access to a local organization.

Edgar Palacios [00:23:20]:
Okay.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:23:21]:
What what are your thoughts on maybe are there some national organizations that you can think of, or what what what kind of suggestion would you have in that sense?

Edgar Palacios [00:23:29]:
Yeah. I really I do like this idea of the ACLU. I know I'm getting a lot of my information right now from the ACLU, and I know that they have really great graphics and and and on on, like, knowing your rights and whatnot. For the rural communities, I actually think about, like, I would first assess what are our local leaders talking about. And are the local leaders understanding, like, where are they on this issue? Because it's interesting in Missouri that there are we we have communities that are rural that are 90% Hispanic, Latino, and they have an incentive not to invite ICE or any other government agency into because it's gonna it would decimate their community in in so many different ways. So I would try to, one, understand, like, what's the community's perspective on this. Two, I would say that there are resources online that are helpful in the organizations like the ACLU. There's other immigrant led and immigrant united with dream comes to mind where you can follow for those practices.

Edgar Palacios [00:24:27]:
And then three, I'm curious about how you would build community with those that are a part of that status. And how are you actually, as a person, building having those one on one conversations with folks so you understand what their fears are and you understand what's happening at that level and and understanding kinda what resources you could provide there as well. Right? Oftentimes, we shy away from asking questions, and and oftentimes, we're like, I don't wanna, like, whatever. I think there are ways to lean into those conversations without harming anyone and without asking the wrong questions, so to speak. But people are people wanna talk, and they wanna know that they have people that they can trust. And these are one of those moments where there are people that are looking at school leaders and schools as places to have the right information. And so being able to be a part of community and and to double down maybe on your parent engagement efforts, maybe to double down on opening up the school at different times so you can have those community conversations in a safe environment if that might help. Yeah.

Edgar Palacios [00:25:26]:
It's it's it's tough not to have those organizations around and calling up people is also helpful, I would say. So if, yeah, if there's contacts on out there to build those relationships, you may never know that there might be somebody that actually understands those issues on a local level that you're connected to as well.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:25:43]:
So Love it. Alright. At the end of the day, like like like we said, maybe a month from now, things will be different, and this night, this conversation may not may not even be all that important a month from now. So that's that's the hope. You know? There's Oh. May we may we wasting our time, and the listener's fine.

Edgar Palacios [00:26:01]:
Sorry about that. You know? We we had a spare there and, yeah.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:26:05]:
So okay. Alright. Well, listen. Either way, I've learned a lot, Edgar, and and I've I'm I'm sure our audience has had a lot of things to think about in this conversation. I'd love for you to take us home with any final words of advice you wanna provide to our listeners.

Edgar Palacios [00:26:18]:
The first thought that I would have is that this this these issues impact all of us, not just, not just the ones that are are the most harmed by them, that we are learning that community building is such a critical tool right now, that we have to build trust within community. And that that means that sometimes we have to be uncomfortable when leading to conversations that we may not know how to navigate fully. I also have been inspired by how community is coming together to address some of these issues. And so if you can create spaces or if you can host meetings or bring leaders and others together to support the work, you'll find that there are people that are willing to to do that when they're willing to to be a part of those conversations. The other thing I always offer to folks is that I, personally, I don't believe that the education of a child is just the schools or district responsibility. It is the responsibility of the entire community. So if you're listening and you're not an educator, but you're thinking about becoming an educator or you don't know how to what's your next step, everything starts at the school level. And so build relationships with your school leaders, offer them the support, see what they need, and show up for kids.

Edgar Palacios [00:27:23]:
The reality is education is still happening. Kids are still going to school. You're still seeing so many other issues that need to be addressed in these moments. And so community has some of those answers. Community has some of those resources. And now is the time, if you haven't already, to start building those relationships more deeply and, yeah, leaning into that kind of mentality.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:27:43]:
Alright. Cool. Cool. Cool. I like that. It's it has truly been fun talking to you about this. If we have some folks that wanna connect with you, what's the best way to reach you online?

Edgar Palacios [00:27:52]:
Yeah. You can find my my organization's online at Latinx edco, l a t I n x e d c o, or at rev, k c e r e v e d k c. You can email me at [email protected], l a t I n x dot o r g. Edgar's e d g a r. Let me try that again. [email protected], and I'm happy to to connect with anybody. I'm also happy to share resources as well. So if you have a question that I'm not the right person for, I'm glad to be a part of a network of people who might be able to support in a different way.

Edgar Palacios [00:28:24]:
But I do appreciate the opportunity to talk about this, and I I'm hopeful that none of this matters a month from now. So

Dr. Sheldon Eakins [00:28:30]:
Alright. Me too. Well, it's been a it's been a pleasure, Edgar. Thank you so much for your time.

Edgar Palacios [00:28:35]:
Absolutely. Thank you.

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