Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School
“the incredible story of the power of parental love and overcoming obstacles to find a better life for their children.”
Alfredo was so excited to start second grade. He jumped up and down as he asked Amá how would he find his classroom, is his friend Jaime going to be in his class, and will his teacher speak Spanish so he can understand her? What he finds out, though, is that he will not be going to school like the other kids in his neighborhood. This is how Cynthia Levinson (The People’s Painter, The Youngest Marcher) begins this story of historical fiction, Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School, revealing the saga of the Lopez family and their fight against the Tyler (Texas) Independent School District so that their son could go to school.
The Lopez family had lived in Jalpa, a city in the state of Zacatecas, México. But when Alfredo was still wearing diapers, his parents were forced to leave their pueblo to find work in the United States because there were no jobs in Jalpa. So, Alfredo lived with his grandparents until he was nine years old, helping them with the cows, working in the garden, and harvesting corn and beans. And, of course, missing his parents tremendously. Then his tío (Apá’s brother, who lived in Tyler, Texas) arrived in a pickup truck to bring Alfredo to reunite with his parents—under cover of darkness so they would not be seen by Border Patrol.
In his new home in the United States, Alfredo met his new brother José, lived in a home with a bathroom, refrigerator, and soft beds, and finally got to go to school! “In his new classroom, Alfredo found a desk, books, and crayons to call his own. At lunch, a boy named Jaime handed him a carton of milk. So this was the US!” However, by the next summer, Texas had a new state law which stated that if were not born here, were not a citizen, or did not have proper documents, you were illegal and could not go to school. “Alfredo didn’t know he was considered illegal. He only knew that when the school year started, he wasn’t welcome. This was the US too.”
His parents debated what to do. Go back to México? Or fight this new law? His parents decided to fight, though they kept this part a secret from Alfredo. One day they packed up the car in case they deported to México and drove to the federal courthouse. There they met their lawyer Peter and listened as he made his case to The Honorable William Wayne Justice. Their case was called Pyler v. Doe. Alfredo simply watched as Peter stated, “The Tyler schools admit undocumented children from every other country except México. That’s not fair! . . . José will be able to go to school here. Why can’t Alfredo? They live in the same house! The only difference is they were born on opposite sides of the border.”
Alfredo got a real education in the courtroom that day as the family’s attorney concluded his arguments citing the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, “No state shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” He added, “This means everyone must be treated the same way. But the law that keeps children born in México out of school treats them differently from others. So Texas’ law is not just unfair. It’s unconstitutional!” Like in every court case, the attorneys went back and forth with their arguments until the judge finally decided the case. “Judge Justice had declared Texas’ law unconstitutional. He ordered Tyler to admit all undocumented students, because every child should be ‘given a chance.’”
Alfredo got to go back to school, thanks to his parents’ bold fight, attorney Peter’s arguments, and Judge Justice’s right decision. Digital illustrations by Mirelle Ortega (Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, Small Room, Big Dreams: The Journey of Julián and Joaquin Castro) capture a child’s point of view and the emotional journey this family undertook—from having to be apart for so many years, then mustering the courage to take on the law in a new country where they were undocumented.
Backmatter shares more detail about the actual saga (details that did not make it into this fictional account), including how the four families that brought their case to court had to protect their identities, and became known as “Doe, Boe, Loe, and Roe.” There is additional information about the Lopez family, Judge Justice, an Author’s Note, Source Notes and a Selected Bibliography. Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School is the story of some very brave and determined parents who fought for the right for their children to go to school. Moreover, it is the incredible story of the power of parental love and overcoming obstacles to find a better life for their children.