KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Susana Elizarraraz is doing her part to support students after Manuel Guzman was killed in a stabbing at Northeast Middle School.
For Elizarraraz, Guzman's death hits closer to home.
“I live and grew up my whole life in the northeast, it's very diverse [and] very rich,” Elizarraraz, the deputy director of Latinx Education Collaborative said.
Elizarraraz changed careers to make an impact in kids lives and to encourage and empower Latinos.
“I’m a former teacher. I was a sixth-grade teacher at Gladstone,” Elizarraraz said. “It feeds into NEMS, I’m a former student at NEMS. Like I’ve said, I’ve lived my life in the neighborhood, teaching and serving my neighborhood is really important to me.”
The news of Guzman's death traveled quickly to Latinx Education Collaborative, which is just a few blocks away from the school.
“My husband told me and I immediately started to cry. What I told him was that we weren’t working fast enough,” she said. “When we look at the sense of belonging in schools, unfortunately many of our students don’t feel like they do. People are literally losing their lives as a result of our schools being places where students don’t feel safe.”
Elizarraraz knows there has been immediate support already at the school.
However, she plans to send hand written letters of support and care packages to the school.
“Just a way so that students and teachers know people love them [and] care about them," she said. “I think it’s time for the community to take an active role in our students' lives."
Letters and donations can be sent to the Latinx Education Collaborative at 2203 Lexington Ave in KCMO.
Elizarraraz says this is an effort to support healing and it's not meant to minimize what has happened.
She can also be contacted at Susana@latinxedco.org.
