Making an impact |

Making an impact

Yasmin Aboytes

It was the fall of 1969 in Alamosa.

A Chicano activist was encouraging students to walk out to protest the lack of opportunities they were given.

Jorge Amaya and nine other students left Alamosa High for Adams State College.

After walking five miles, they were drawn in by the powerful voice of Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez. As Gonzalez spoke about civil rights, it enlightened Amaya’s own life.

He started to question why his counselor encouraged him to take consumer math instead of algebra, why his counselor was throwing away his college applications and denying him the chance for higher education.

So he took action.

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Gonzalez’s 16-year advocacy was fueled by people telling him all his life that he could not accomplish anything because he was Mexican.

He filled out a college application and drove a pick-up truck to Colorado State University to deliver it himself. From then on, he decided to not only help himself but also the Latino community.

“We do not want special treatment, just equal. Until then, the civil rights movement will continue,” Amaya said.

Jorge Amaya, along with five other recipients, including Dolores Huerta, will be honored at the 13th Annual Civil Rights Awards tonight at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The award is to honor people who have taken risk to better their community.

“The award is such an honor, but I am privileged to be in the same company as one of my role models, Dolores Huerta,” Amaya said.

NEWSED Community Development Corporation and Santa Fe Drive Redevelopment Corp. will pay tribute to six individuals who are dedicated to the civil rights movement.

Pierre Jimenez, president of Jimenez and Associates, was one of the first to receive the civil rights award. He nominated Amaya for his dedication and impact on the Latino community.

“Jorge lives the principles that he fights for, which helps him answer his calling,” Jimenez said.

Amaya now lives in Greeley and deals with issues such as labor disputes, construction of a recreation center on the east side, building the veterans’ memorial and his main concern, education.

Amaya has been the director for Colorado Alliance for Reform in Education for two years. He has helped parents

become informed about the public school system and the options their children have to be successful.

This issue hit home with Amaya.

His son, Avery Amaya, was having problems at his high school. He was getting into fights and his grades were suffering. Counselors had labeled his son as a bad student. Jorge began to criticize the system for not offering his son solutions. In return, the school said Jorge was the one with the problem. So he moved his son to University High School.

“I could not afford it, but I wanted my son to succeed,” Amaya said.

Avery went on to graduate with a 3.0 grade-point average and became the second youngest city councilman in Greeley.