by KING 5 News
SEATTLE -- Roberto Maestas, the long time leader and co-founder of El Centro de la Raza, a center for Seattle's Latino community, died Wednesday morning, organization officials say.
Maestas was long involved in the ongoing civil rights movement in Seattle. According to the University of Washington Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project page, Maestas was born in New Mexico in a small farming community and worked his way north through the migrant stream, first to Colorado and eventually to Seattle, permanently settling in the city in the 1950s.
Maestas was educated as a teacher and taught at Franklin High School before leaving secondary teaching and pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Washington in 1968. At the University, he became involved with the Chicano student activism, the black freedom struggle, and farm worker organizing in the Yakima valley.
Maestas helped form a program at South Seattle Community for Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) to cater to the city's growing Latino community in the early 1970s.
When funding for the program was abruptly cut-off in the fall of 1972, Maestas, his fellow teachers and students, and a number of community activists peaceably occupied the abandoned Beacon Hill School and negotiated its conversion into a community center, El Centro de la Raza.
In addition to providing a range of social services, El Centro played a prominent role in local solidarity campaigns with Central America during the 1970s and 1980s. Maestas also co-founded the Minority Executive Directors's Coalition in the 1980s with fellow "Gang of Four" colleages Bernie Whitebear, Larry Gossett and Bob Santos.
King County Executive Dow Constantine and Councilmember Larry Gossett issued statements on the passing of Maestas.
"I have long known Roberto Maestas as a vibrant leader of the Latino community and the larger community, a man whose greatest skill was bringing people together, and a champion of equal rights for all. We will miss him," said Constantine.
"We lost a lion today. Roberto was relentless in his pursuit of justice, while offering service and support to those in need. The spark he and colleagues Councilmember Larry Gossett, Bob Santos, and the late Bernie Whitebear created those many years ago will continue to light the way in our community for years to come. Roberto's devotion to equity and social justice made him an inspiration to political leaders of our time. I have ordered that the flags over King County buildings be flown at half-staff in his honor."
Gossett said "Roberto was the pre-eminent leader and political activist of our time when it comes to all the important movements for social change which have taken place in the Pacific Northwest over the past 40 years."
"When Native Americans struggled for fishing rights in the late '60s and early '70s, Roberto was on the front line. When Black construction workers rose up in 1969 and demanded a fair share of construction jobs in our community, Roberto was there. When poor and disenfranchised Latinos organized to improve their community, Roberto was there to lead the struggle to create El Centro de La Raza."
"He has been there for striking garbage workers, the women's movement for abortion rights, the resistance of Asian communities to the encroachment of the Kingdome - Roberto has been there for every genuine effort to bring about meaningful improvement to the life conditions of people throughout Martin Luther King Jr. County. And because of his legacy we will sorely miss his tremendous contributions to our community."
Mayor Mike McGinn said Maestas "often spoke of building a 'beloved community' through nonviolence, community engagement and an empowered citizenry. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described the 'beloved community' as a world where poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated. Where racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be defeated by brotherhood and sisterhood. We are lowering city flags to half-mast today to respect his passing. We encourage all to honor his memory by working for his 'beloved community.'"
