Juan Guerrero: 'Strength in numbers' will help Hispanics

The experience of working in the farm fields with his parents helped give Juan Manuel Guerrero the motivation to get ahead.

He recalled thinking that in order to have a voice and to advocate for his rights, he needed to get an education.

Guerrero went on get a degree in political science and is now working on a doctorate from Concord University in California. He has served his country in the military, has spent more than 10 years as a law enforcement officer and today is chief gaming investigator for the Quechan Tribe at its casinos.

Outside of his work with the tribe, Guerrero does volunteer presentations on how parents can determine if their children are using illegal substances, and he also talks about the dangers of gang involvement.

He is also working with homeless veterans, helping to organize a shelter for victims of domestic violence and is vice president of Campesinos Sin Fronteras, a Somerton-based social service agency that helps farm workers.

He says Hispanics like him who have gotten ahead need, in turn, to help other Hispanics achieve opportunities.

"San Luis, Arizona, is growing," he said. "Hispanics are more prepared and sadly they get to a point where they forget where they came from. Everyone who has achieved a position of leadership has the obligation to be the voice of those who are not prepared, who don't have the resources.

"I am a product of the community. It is our obligation to help our people move ahead. That is what motivates me. There is so much work to be done here that we need leaders who have heart and ambition."

Hispanics still face discrimination, he says.

"I am a war veteran. I worked in the police department on drug trafficking. I was a detective. However, for certain ignorant people, I am still an undocumented Mexican. That is how I saw it when I was in school. I saw it at work and I see it in the way Hispanics are treated differently."

Guerrero, a Yuma resident today, grew up in Somerton. His father, Juan Guerrero, was born in Jalisco and his mother, Armida Cota, was born in Baja California.

"When I was in college, I remember that I didn't have anything to eat. Sometimes all I had to eat was a bag of rice. I cooked it with soy sauce and that was my meal.

"There were times I had no money and I would get $20 for donating blood. I would donate blood once a month. I did what I could because my father became ill and money was even tighter. If I did it, anyone can do it."

His goal today, he says, is a simple one: "to be considered equal. In my opinion, a person's actions tell you about his character. I would like us to be seen as we are, people with dignity, hard-working and humble, and not as second-class citizens."

Guerrero says it will not take long to realize that goal. "There is strength in numbers. There are many leaders who believe in our people and who believe in a better future.

"The leadership in Somerton and San Luis is increasing and it is becoming one voice, but if the people don't support it and begin to vote and show that the Hispanic vote is strong, we are never going to be taken seriously," he warned.

Hispanics are loyal to this country, he said, adding that Hispanics protecting the nation's borders and are serving in Iraq.

"Hispanics have contributed so much and yet we are still considered second-class citizens."