New York State AARP’s most prestigious award for community service, the Andrus Award, this year went to Alejandro Garcia.
The 2008 Andrus Award for Community Service recognizes 53 unique individuals — one from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — who have demonstrated the power to make it better in their communities in ways that are consistent with AARP’s mission, vision and commitment to volunteer service, and that inspire others to volunteer. The award is named after AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus.
That Garcia is from Syracuse University continues to illustrate how lucky we in Central New York are to have wonderful colleges and universities in our area that attract national figures.
A former administrator and current professor at SU School of Social Work, College of Human Ecology, Garcia’s areas of expertise are the elderly, particularly Hispanic elderly, and adequacy of income in old age, policy analysis and social welfare, and human diversity.
Having just completed his term as chair of the AARP National Policy Council, he will remain on that body for another two years with broader northeast regional responsibility. Additionally, he is assuming the important role of chairing the National Policy Council’s nominating committee.
I have known Garcia for a number of years and always found him to be a fascinating, complex person. In addition to being an expert in multicultural issues in aging, he is an excellent photographer, a lover of the arts and a humanitarian.
We recently discussed what in his background brought him to focus his academic career on social issues.
Here’s what Garcia had to say:
“I was raised in a very poor family in South Texas. In the schools in Texas at the time, Mexican children were taught that they were inferior and so I convinced myself that was the case with me as well. It was only slowly that I realized I could compete with others on an academic basis.
That was also when I started to appreciate my ethnic background, my culture and learned to celebrate who I was.
There have been role models all along the way who helped me become who I am. For instance, when I was about 15 or 16, the Latino vice-principal at my high school invited me to attend a Rotary Club luncheon where I had to wear a coat and tie. I remember that vividly as I didn’t have a coat and tie but my Dad helped me find them and even taught me how to tie a tie.
“When we lived in a poor neighborhood, my mother was conned into buying a musical instrument for me. We lived in Brownsville, Texas, which was in the poorest county in the United States. To be able to play the instrument, I had to change schools.
“I went from a 100 percent Latino school to a school across town that had non-Hispanic white students from a higher socio-economic status and with higher career aspirations. This started me thinking about what I could become and in turn, gave me access to attend the University of Texas on a band scholarship.
“At UT I studied languages: Spanish, English and Italian. Then I enlisted in the Army. Toward the end of my service I was in a serious car accident and was bedridden for a long time. That forced me to think what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and when I started to think about social issues, in particular, social justice in relation to Hispanics. This thinking led me to obtain a master’s degree in social work at California State University in Sacramento.
“After being in clinical practice for a couple of years and joining the staff of the National Association of Social Workers in New York City, I decided to pursue doctoral studies. One of my major influences and role models was Dr. Juan Ramos, a Brandeis University alumnus and a high official in the National Institute of Mental Health. He encouraged me to think about applying to the doctoral program at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis.”
How have your ideas changed over the years?
“I went from not liking myself very much to learning to appreciate myself and seeing myself as part of the larger Latino community. My extensive collection of Mexican masks and other folk art is related to my background. When I started amassing my collection of this art, I was often asked why such a disparate collection? My answer was that each piece of art that I collected contributed to my self discovery and celebration.”
How has our country responded to the growth of Latinos in our communities?
“It varies. From acceptance in many areas, to fear and hatred in others. Some people are threatened by too many Latinos and concerned about how their way of life will affect America. But the fact is that Latino cultures have influenced the United States. For example, salsa is now preferred over catsup; Mexican food has become part of regular menus; and we celebrate Cinco De Mayo without knowing what it really is. We see Latino influences in our architecture, and in the names of our communities, such as Mexico right here in Central New York. The names of cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are such an integral part of our vocabulary that we don’t consider them as foreign names.”
Do you think we are taking the best advantage of our country’s diverse populations?
“No, I think the majority society could learn a lot from Latinos. For instance, the fact that they have a long life expectancy in spite of their poverty. One reason for their long life is an extremely strong family support system.”
Let’s talk about your love of photography.
“I bought a camera when I was in the military and started taking pictures in the Arctic when stationed in Greenland and it’s evolved ever since. I like to capture people involved in activities and I feel good that this is a gift I can share with others. I have been especially drawn to Mexican folk art and ceremonial dances when I visit Mexico. In my family, when someone dies, relatives already know that they can come to me for family photograph archives.”
I know you have had a unique volunteer experience using your photography.
“Over the years I have been invited by a former colleague, Dr. Susan Taylor-Brown, to participate as a volunteer in a camp for families who had at least one individual diagnosed as being HIV positive or having AIDS. Over the years my job was to take photos of the families, many of whom were Latino or African American, and for many, these were the only family photographs that they had. The families loved having the photographs as well as getting the family together and posing for them. Over the years, the family changed, some members died and sometimes unrelated persons became part of the family. It was interesting to see these dynamics at play and how people sought love and support from other people and how much we were willing to give in spite of our own trials and tribulations.”
