Carrillo and her daughters speak little English, and this has caused some problems in school for her children. Children used to play on the streets at 4 p.m. on a weekday. Now about 25 children sit in the Family Support Center frenetically coloring pictures of their families and houses. Markers, crayons and paper are strewn across the tables and floor. Five college students move from child to child, heeding requests to draw trees and mailboxes.
Several pictures made by the children hang on the walls.
Another story of erasing racial barriers comes from Avadawn Deroux, a senior in psychology who volunteers at the center during the after-school program. She tells the story of a young Latino in one of her classes who spoke fluent English, but talked little. When Deroux explained to the other students that the boy could speak English, the kids were in shock. They did not understand that a Latino student could speak Spanish and English. Deroux says she could see the barriers falling away.