Congressman Charles Rangel wrote this letter to Mayor Abe Beame in November of 1975 to convey his opposition to the closure of Hostos Community College as a means to achieve budget cutbacks for the city. As the United States Congressman representing a substantial portion of Hostos students, Rangel urged the mayor to seek out alternative options for saving money so as to preserve Hostos Community College as a much needed resource for upward mobility in his district.

In 1975, in response to the New York City fiscal crisis, Hostos Community College was slated to merge with Bronx Community College in order to dramatically cut spending. It was this threat that led to the second iteration of organizing to save Hostos. Determined to preserve Hostos for the South Bronx as a place for students to pursue a bilingual higher education, students, faculty, staff, and community groups joined forces to keep Hostos open for the community.