The only State public elected official to address the elimination of the Office of Multicultural Student Services is Wisconsin State Representative Priscilla Prado (D-Milw), the rest of the Latino and Black local, County and State elected officials have remained silent on the issue, which is shameful and inadvertently sents a message that they are allegedly in agreement (by their silence) with Trump, MATC President Cruz and the Board of Trustees.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
January 7, 2026
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - As of Tuesday in the new year, only one Latina state public elected official, Wisconsin State Representative Priscilla Prado (D-Milw) has had the courage to addressed the detrimental decision by MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz to eliminate the Office of Multicultural Student Services and replacing it with the Office of Community Impact, which has been viewed as a failure to meet students of color needs and expectations (no information available in the MATC website about what are the actual services that it provides compared to the eliminated Multicultural student services) at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Dr. Cruz, who is of Cuban descent made the unforgivable and erroneous decision to eliminate the Multicultural Office in order to comply with the illegal order by Trump to eliminate all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs associated with providing student services and hiring by race orientation needs. Multiple federal courts have ruled that Trump's elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs was unconstitutional because it violated free speech of instructors and teachers in the classrooms.
Today, MATC has 63% majority of students of color, with 24% Hispanic student enrollment at the technical college.
So far in 2025, Wisconsin State Representative Priscilla Prado (D-Milw) has been the only Latina elected official to condemned MATC President Cruz and the Board of Trustees for their decision to eliminate the Multicultural Student Services after more than 50 years of providing student peer support and bilingual services, one on one counseling services, retention of students and helping students graduate from the college.
It's a shame and a lack of political representation by other Latino/a and Black elected officials that have stayed silent and have not formed a consensus coalition to condemn Dr. Cruz and the MATC Board of Trustees decision to eliminate the Multicultural Student Services in late August 2025 and the unjustly firing of four student services specialists.
The following are the names of the Latino/a public elected officials and others who have remained silent on the elimination of the Office of Multicultural Student Services at MATC, including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who is Black, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is Black, and current candidate for Governor, outgoing Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) and Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez (D), and current candidate for Governor.
The following Latino/a elected officials who have failed to address the elimination of the Multicultural Student Services at MATC, which many of their own constituents attend the technical college. Not one of the following named elected officials have had the courage to demand for MATC to restore the Multicultural student services and the four unjustly fired student services specialists at the college.
• Milwaukee Alderman and President of the Milwaukee Common Council Jóse G. Pérez (No action taken)
• Milwaukee Alderperson JoCasta Zamarripa, and current candidate for State Secretary (No action taken)
• Milwaukee County Supervisor and Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors Marcelia Nicholson-Bovell (No action taken)
• Milwaukee County Supervisor Caroline Gómez-Tom (No action taken)
• Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martínez (No action taken)
• Wisconsin State Representative Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milw) (No action taken)
• Milwaukee County Register of Deeds Issy Ramon (No action taken)
Public testimony given at the MATC Board of Trustees meetings regarding the current state of affairs at MATC:
• MATC Alumni and community activist Samuel A. Alford public comment testimony regarding the elimination of the Multicultural Student Services Office by MATC President Dr. Cruz, during the November 24, 2025 MATC Board of Trustees meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Here's the October 2024 MATC Board meeting video where Luz Sosa, Carlos Aranda, Patricia Gómez and others exposed the hostile, harassment, retaliation and discrimination practices by leadership administrators at the technical college. https://youtu.be/Lm_ImpZGXn4
• The latest video, December 2024, the MATC Board meeting and testimony given by employees and MATC Counselor Carlos Aranda https://youtu.be/ed93-NODo8M
The members of the MATC Board of Trustees are, Erica L. Case, Chairperson; Citlali Mendieta-Ramos, Vice-Chairperson; Dr. Waleed Najeeb, Secretary; Gail Pence, Treasurer; Lauren Baker; Mark F. Foley and Wisconsin State Representative Supreme Moore-Omokunde (D-Milw). (MATC Board of Directors | MATC https://share.google/JBtolZmTGaz4lo885)
No comments:
Post a Comment