Sheriff, Hispanic group strike a chord for education

CROWN POINT | No one can accuse Lake County Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez of using subliminal messages to reach young people. He attended a Latino music festival Sunday at the Lake County Fair to deliver a blunt message.

"Stay in school." As well as, "Go to college."

During the day, dance troupes from the Calumet Region brought Mexican-inspired dances to the fairgrounds for Festival Latino, a daylong event. Local Latino bands Los Cordobas and Together performed in the evening on the fairgrounds' grandstand stage.

The Latino-inspired events were sponsored in part by the Hispanic Organization Promoting Excellence -- a group affiliated with Dominguez that coordinates events aimed at encouraging young people to finish high school as well as consider higher education.

Dominguez took to the stage and talked about the need for people to be educated. The sheriff said he sees nothing unusual about using a music festival to tout his message.

"Music is universal. It is a language of the world," he said. "While people are enjoying the music, we will be distributing literature that will tell people of the need to get an education to help better themselves in life."

If, by chance, Dominguez's words and fliers were not enough, the grandstand also was covered with posters bearing the slogan, "Dedication. Education. Graduation!" along with his name and title.

Also present at the event with education on its mind was the League of United Latin American Citizens, the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the U.S., according to its website.

It has five councils representing parts of Indiana, including one council based in Merrillville that covers all of Lake County.

State Director Debbie Gonzalez said the group wants to split the northern half of the county into its own council focusing on the sizable Latino populations in Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago.

Specifically, Gonzalez said LULAC wants to have influence over the problems currently afflicting the School City of East Chicago, which faces a possible takeover by state education officials if quality does not improve significantly in the coming year.

LULAC was hoping to sign up potential members for a new council from among those who attended the music festival. The group also plans to discuss the issue at a meeting at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the East Chicago office of the Union Benefica Mexicana, 3828 Main St.

"There are a lot of educational issues in East Chicago that we want to have a say in," Gonzalez said, although she added LULAC has not taken a stance on whether the current School Board should be changed from one appointed by the East Chicago mayor to one elected by local voters.