Letter: U.S. can be proud of role

Friday, June 8, 2001 | 9:51 a.m.

The people of the United States can take some credit for the recent election of Alejandro Toledo as president of Peru.

This is truly a "rags to riches" story of a young indigent boy born into poverty. As a young boy Alejandro shined shoes on the streets of Peru. His father was jailed for attempting to claim squatter's rights over a barren piece of land that he wanted to use to house his family.

I lived in Peru from 1966-68. I saw the shanty towns where people like Alejandro lived. Houses made of straw mats with no facilities whatsoever. No water, no electricity, no sewers. I knew boys like Alejandro. I frequently paid them to shine my shoes. I was a Peace Corps volunteer. Although the job did not require polished shoes, I found visits to the shoeshine boys a convenient way to pay those who had no other way to earn money.

Alejandro Toledo was found on the streets of Peru in the 1960s by a couple of my Peace Corps colleagues. They identified him as a bright and industrious young boy who had something to offer his country. They put Alejandro in touch with others who could help him. He eventually ended up in the United States and earned a degree in economics at Stanford.

While in Peru I had many discussions with Peruvians regarding racism in the U.S. and in Peru. I argued that racism in Peru was the more difficult issue. At the time, the U.S. was in the midst of its civil rights movement. Indigent Indians in Peru had not even begun to organize. They were openly discriminated against at every level of Peruvian society.

Today Toledo is the first freely elected indigent president of a South American nation. He campaigned in part on Indian rights. The people of the U.S. can celebrate in this victory for world democracy.

Forty years ago it was the vision of this country to send young Americans to perform international service as Peace Corps volunteers. That vision played an important role in the ascendancy of Dr. Alejandro Toledo and the destruction of racism in his land.

TED O. HALL