It is with both excitement and mourning that this news is written. The excitement is drawn from
the incredible response NCN is receiving throughout the country. Communities have increased their
understanding of the Latino community and are responding by offering support
that builds on gifts that our mothers, fathers, and families possess. La Cultura Cura (Transformational Healing)
provides communities with the foundation to help families address long held pain
so that the beauty of our families can surface.
NCN staff have been busy traveling across the country representing
NCN at conferences and convenings. Mario
Ozuna-Sanchez & Ozvaldo “Ozzie” Cruz traveled to Boston and Baltimore to
inform practitioners who seek to include young men in prevention and
intervention efforts. Maestro Jerry Tello and Juan Gomez informed foundations
and systems leaders on the benefits of using asset-based culturally responsive
approaches will enhance the outcomes they seek to achieve in communities in
Colorado. Maestro Samuelin Martinez and
Baba Arnold Perkins (Brotherhood of Elders) attended the statewide Boys &
Men of Color Camp held in the California Sierras to reflect our shared mission to
make sure our boys and young men see themselves as blessings to all of us and remind
them that we will walk with them in their journey towards manhood. Finally, I traveled to Washington DC to attended the national
convening hosted by the National Institute of Health to better understand the
involvement of fathers during pregnancy and first year of their child’s life
and continue to serve on the Positive Youth Justice Initiative that will
illuminate the many ways that California’s systems and resources can be
deployed to achieve better life outcomes than the investments in incarceration
have given the constituents of the state.
Maestro José E. Montoya was man who reminded me that the
greetings and social graces that my family taught, that were rooted in our
Mexican traditions, had a place in this country, our country, too. His
contribution to NCN as a board member was central to making sure that the
organization worked in service to the community. His unrelenting advocacy for young men, adult
men and families that were pushed to the margins of society has been a driving
force of our work. His presence in the
Círculo helped center work that each man must endeavor to do so that his
children, family, and community benefit.
Mstro. José Montoya’s teachings are overwhelming to capture
in this short note. He reflected what a
man that worked in service to others looked like, his time with El Círculo often
came at the expense of his family, and he taught us to sit humbly so that we
could learn from each other while honoring the four cardinal directions
representing the children, women, elders and ancestors, and men all living on . His music, art, and prose, were modern day
examples of Chicano Flor y Canto. He
created the NCN’s noble challenge to push
the movement forward for the benefit of others.
The efforts of our success are built on the foundation Maestro José
Montoya helped create and build.
Buenos días le de Dios y Dios se lo pague.
(May God grant you good days & May God repay you)
Con respeto siempre y gratitud,
Héctor Sánchez-Flores
Executive Director,
National Compadres Network
