When he came to California 36 years ago, Marcelino Lopez carried a common dream of immigrants to this country: a good education and brighter future for his children. Never expecting a struggle, he was astonished to find out after settling his family in East Palo Alto that the schools were actually impeding his kids’ education. That discovery cost him dearly, first in dollars, and then in time. First, Lopez sent his three eldest children to private school, not an easy achievement on his salary as a greens keeper at Stanford University. Years later, when he sent one of his younger children to a new program at the public school, he was shocked to learn that conditions had not improved, and that dropout rates were over 60 percent in the majority Hispanic district. “It’s a crime,” said Lopez. “It’s everybody’s fault, not only the district.”
At the time, he had no intention of holding office. But his experience as a frustrated parent and commitment to change led him on a journey that eventually won him a school board seat in a campaign to end mismanagement and reform the district. Lopez and the other new board members voted to forgo their stipends until the district returned to financial health. The school board seat was the culmination of years of service on the school’s English Language Advisory Committee and leadership of a Padres Unidos advocacy group, where Lopez emerged as an advocate to the school for Hispanic families and a frequent spokesman for the community in meetings with legislators and media interviews.
After earning the trust of the Hispanic community, Lopez also saw the need to build ties with African American and Pacific Islander parents in the diverse community. “I’m not only for Hispanics,” he said. “I’m for the kids.” As a board member of groups including Peninsula Interfaith Action and One East Palo Alto, he broadened his involvement beyond the school district and the Hispanic population to building a healthier community.
Lopez’s work makes him more optimistic about the legacy he had hoped to leave for his children: “We all know that there are a lot of problems in our community, but we always think maybe someone else will take care of them or they will go away. The need is enormous, not only for my kids, but for the whole community. My best reward is that the kids get a good education and have a better future.”
Lopez became a Wildflowers fellow in 2003.