“We stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us.”
For Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re sharing stories of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean whose work inspires us.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a national celebration of the contributions and influence of Hispanic and Latinx Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.
As part of the celebration, we invited members of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network to share what their Hispanic heritage means to them, and how it shapes the work they do in disaster recovery, health, agriculture, economic development, and more. Keep reading to learn more about these leaders.
“The result is that we are creating leaders within the community.”
By Patricia Velasquez, Hollywood Actor, Organization of American States (OAS) Goodwill Ambassador for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, and Founder, Wayuu Taya Foundation
The indigenous communities along the border of Venezuela and Colombia, especially the Wayuu community, have been forgotten. With the work that we do through the Wayuu Taya Foundation, we are bringing them hope. By bringing them hope, they feel that they are being acknowledged and that makes them feel empowered to go out and help their own communities. The result is that we are creating leaders within the community.
We have had tremendous challenges throughout the years, especially now with COVID, but we have found extraordinary individuals and organizations that are there to support our work and that keeps us very excited. The Clinton Foundation has opened its arms to us in the most unselfish way and that has motivated us to continue on the right path.
What does Hispanic heritage mean to me?
I’ve always been an outsider. Growing up I’ve always felt like an outsider, but later in life, I started seeing the benefits of it and started embracing it. Being Hispanic and indigenous has given me that sense of knowing that I belong somewhere.
“The richness of our cultures will allow us to move forward in the right direction.”
By Efrén Robles, Co-founder, Frutos del Guacabo
For the past decade, we have supported the Farm to Table movement. We empower small farmers and local entrepreneurs to have a direct impact on their local economies. Frutos del Guacabo (FDG)’s collaborations aid in the development of our emerging agro-culinary communities. Non-traditional farming methods combined with heritage farming and food preservation techniques are the components of FDG’s Open Farm Concept, a new option for sustainable urban farming.
One of the first challenges we faced was educating our community about new crops and the impact of local production and consumption. Our response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria provided us with the knowledge and confidence needed to handle other situations that had a major impact on our daily lives, such as the economic recession, recent earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Each time that we have to face challenges like these, we become more resilient. The keys to overcoming these challenges and our biggest asset are the people that we serve. They provide us with support and the confidence that we need in order to navigate difficult situations.
What does Hispanic heritage mean to me?
Hispanic Heritage Month gives us a chance to reflect on who we are. Understanding where we come from and what we have accomplished as a society gives us a genuine sense of pride. The richness of our cultures will allow us to move forward in the right direction.
“We stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us.”
By Tania Rosario-Méndez, Executive Director, Taller Salud
My CGI commitment is to nurture and support the ecosystem that I am a part of. For me, inspiration is the capacity to defend our right to hope. We choose solidarity and we have each other, and that’s how we win.
Working in Puerto Rico, we’ve faced many challenges, but we face them as a community — centering people, prioritizing life and wellbeing, elevating women’s leadership, and using our core values as a compass.
What does Hispanic heritage mean to me?
Hispanic heritage means community, shared experiences, and stories of struggle and liberation. We stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us, and we must pave the road for those that come after us.
“Our goal is to show how communities in Puerto Rico have achieved recovery in their communities through collective and collaborative actions.”
By Lcda. Adi Martínez-Román, JSD, Founder and President, Firmes Unidos y Resilientes con la Abogacía, Inc.
In Puerto Rico, there are more than 750 low-income communities with the right to participate directly in governmental decisions that affect them. Yet, after Hurricane Maria, they have not able to access the resources needed for reconstruction, which in many cases has resulted in high levels of housing insecurity and even displacement. After the earthquakes, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, the levels of vulnerability and inequity continue to increase.
Developing solutions with residents of low-income communities in a participatory way is not only empowering but also a very efficient way of promoting democratic consciousnesses and activism. We are able to change policies through the power of united communities. Two years ago, I founded FURIA, Inc. in order to develop strong strategies that promote community leadership.
It has been a challenge to convince local and federal governments that participatory processes need to be prioritized in order to build sustainable recovery and resiliency in communities. For example, after the disasters, it has been extremely difficult to get agencies to incorporate active and meaningful participation processes in the planning and implementation of recovery. Paternalistic attitudes and the lack of transparency and accountability are rampant problems in the local and federal governments. Our goal is to show how communities in Puerto Rico have achieved recovery in their communities through collective and collaborative actions. We are also pushing local and federal governments to create significant participation mechanisms in their processes.
In the face of multiple disasters, communities need tools, knowledge, and security to prepare and protect themselves, promote unity, and healthy change. Our strategies are focused on making these things flourish.
What does Hispanic heritage mean to me?
Being from Puerto Rico means being a Caribbean Hispanic Latinx-American. Recognizing Hispanic heritage in the United States is a way to strengthen connections and bonds established by cultural interactions that further friendship, empathy, solidarity, and open the door to beneficial collaborations between the United States and Puerto Rico. It is through these cultural interactions that we can strengthen the sense of pride, self, and recognition of the local potential for further socio-economic development.
“Our Hispanic roots are a common bond that is invisible yet palpable.”
By Karen Mojica-Franceschi, Esq., Director of Engagement at Discover Puerto Rico
Acting as a liaison between Discover Puerto Rico and local industry stakeholders, associations, and elected officials, I work to raise awareness of the importance of tourism for Puerto Rico’s economy. I work to earn people’s trust, prove our credibility and efficiency, and recruit advocates for the tourism industry. Through my role, I’m able to establish close connections and deliver free marketing tools that help municipalities and small and medium businesses that serve the visitor economy, so they can benefit from available opportunities. More than 86,000 local jobs currently depend on tourism. We are confident that we can grow the visitor economy to unprecedented levels and create more jobs and a better economy through strategic planning and a long-term vision. Our goal is for stakeholders to understand this potential and invest in strengthening the sector, so the island can leverage the transformative power of tourism and become more resilient.
Discover Puerto Rico is the island’s first Destination Marketing Organization, so the first challenge has been to educate locals about who we are, what we do, and how we can collaborate. As a new, private entity taking on work previously done by the government, initial hurdles include lack of knowledge, skepticism, and political polarization. We have strived to be efficient, transparent, and successful, even amidst many crises. From the start, we knew that we had to restore tourism levels to what they were before Hurricane María, but we did not want to stop there. I’m proud to say that 2019 was a record-breaking year for Puerto Rico tourism. As a team, we have relied on data and research to guide each marketing decision, but also to measure our performance diligently. I never expected that such beautiful work would come with such hard resistance, but every day we focus on the positive and on what we know and trust: Puerto Rico deserves the best.
What does Hispanic heritage mean to me?
Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island with the heart of a great nation. Our culture and heritage have been shaped through a rich history of events that joined the blood and cultures of our Taíno ancestors, Spanish conquistadors, and African slaves that were brought to our shores. In our most recent history, we have had a territorial relationship with the United States, which has also greatly influenced our culture and daily lives. Our Hispanic roots have become intertwined with elements from each of these cultures.
Puerto Ricans are proud people who work hard and party hard. We ask our elders for their blessings every time we see or speak with them. We believe in education, in family values, in being humble, and we are also convinced that the world is our oyster and we are unstoppable. We embrace technology and trends. We have a personal approach to life, even with an international mindset. Our Hispanic roots are a common bond that is invisible yet palpable. I’m proud to have a Latin heart and connect with people intellectually and emotionally. This islander from Puerto Rico believes in global perspectives. We are all the same, but we all want to be treated uniquely.
Bonus Feature:
Too Small to Fail teams up with Univision Contigo, providing a Spanish language text service delivering early literacy tips and ideas to parents! Want to sign up? Just text CONSEJOS to 26262.
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