Lifting Up Latino Leadership and Language Access

Latinos will soon be a majority in many cities across the U.S., yet the numbers of Latino leaders continue to lag across sectors as compared with other groups. This inequitable distribution of power acts to limit the voice and presence of Latinos in decision making.

The group of authors in this section focus on the importance of investment in Latino leadership, and the obstacles that limited language access presents in moving toward racial equity for immigrant families. New policies to advance language access, bilingual staff provision, and plans for spaces to celebrate Latino history and culture emerge as actions to facilitate more equitable cities.

Discussion Questions

Read through the following questions and answer them based off what you learned from the readings:

1. Can you identify 2-3 ways that your community is working toward the preservation, development and promotion of Latino culture? What about Afro-Latino's? What is one way that this can be improved in your community?

2. In her essay, Tanya González states that communities should have a plan for immigrant integration as a guide for immigrants to share their cultures, and integrate and contribute to society. What considerations do you think might facilitate this two-way process of integration in your community?

3. Think of an organization you are part of or work for, what are 1-2 ways for that organization to institutionalize linguistically and culturally accessible services?

Exercises

Do a search to find out if your city has a Hispanic Liaison Office, Office of Multicultural affairs or other position/department assigned to support Latino’s or Spanish speaking immigrants? What kind of support or programming do they provide?

Go to your local government website, how hard or easy would it be to navigate for services or information if you were a Spanish speaker? Can you find any materials in Spanish? Services or policies to support Latino’s or immigrants?

Identify at least one and up to three organizations in your community that are supporting Latino’s i.e. leadership development, community engagement, outreach, training and/or other services? What do they do? What needs are they meeting? How might you partner and/or support them in the future?

Find out if there are any Latino events or culture festivals that happen in your community? Find one to attend and put it on your calendar.

Additional Resources

Latinos find job choices are both limited and limiting
Nancy Rivera, The Los Angeles Times (August 7, 1983)

Afro-Latino: A deeply rooted identity among U.S. Hispanics
Gustavo López and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, Pew Research Center (March 1, 2016)

Citizenship and Immigration: Multiculturalism, Assimilation, and Challenges to the Nation-State

Irene Bloemraad, Anna Korteweg, and Gökçe Yurdakul (April 3, 2008)

Foreign-born population has increased rapidly in Virginia
Laura Kebede, Richmond Times-Dispatch (March 5, 2014)

Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool for Federally Conducted and Federally Assisted Programs
JFederal Coordination and Compliance Section Civil Rights Division U.S. Department of Justice (May 2011)

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Introduction

Message from the Authors

The Richmond Racial Equity Essays launched in 2021 with the goal of promoting thought leadership and public dialogue toward advancing racial equity in Richmond, Virginia, but also as a multi-media model for other cities grappling...

Section I

Introduction

Planning for Inclusive Communities

Urban planning concerns itself with the design and uses of space (or land) that focus on the physical form, economic functions, and social impacts of the built and natural environments in cities, towns and places in our communities. Although...

Section II

Introduction

Section III

Building Sustainable and Affordable Housing

Housing is a basic need around which our health and stability is built, our neighborhoods are centered and housing (through homeownership) is a cornerstone for wealth building. Thus access to...

Section III

Ensuring Education Equity
The quality of one’s education has a significant impact on both their access to opportunity and life outcomes. Yet, many Black and Brown children lack the access to a quality education within....

Section IV

Section III

Section IV

Advancing Economic Empowerment

The link between capitalism and systemic racism has been with us even before the founding of the United States, as using people for profit is one of our country’s original sins. The compounding...

Section V

Section III

Section IV

Shifting Power and Reimagining Partnerships

Central among our ongoing reckoning with racial justice is the question of how power is shifted and shared through partnerships. Historically marginalized communities...

Section VI

Section VIII

Section VII

Lifting Up Latino Leadership and Language Access

Section VII

Section VIII

Section VII

Creating Community, Healing, and Justice

In the journey to dismantle structures of white supremacy there must be attention paid to community rebuilding and healing. Trauma from racism has negatively impacted Black and Brown people, and...

Section VIII

Building a Healthy Environment

Most U.S. localities are legally tasked to make decisions that protect the health, safety and general welfare of its inhabitants. While environmental health should be provided for all populations, communities...

Section IX

Section VIII

Summary

Thank you for reading, watching, and listening to the content from the Richmond Racial Equity Essays. We hope this guide helped you delve deeper into the material and furthered your learning and...

Lifting Up Latino Leadership and Language Access

Featured Essays and Media

Discussion Questions

Read through the following questions and answer them based off what you learned from the readings:

Exercises

Examples

Sacred Heart Center

Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center

Blueprint for Immigrant New York

California Immigrant Integration Highlights

Additional Resources

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Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Section I

Introduction

Introduction

Section II

Introduction

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Section IV

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Section V

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