Latino Inequality in Massachusetts with Nueva Esperanza | Connecting Point | Apr. 4, 2018

>>> A RECENT REPORT IN "THE BOSTON GLOBE" FOUND THAT LATINOS IN MASSACHUSETTS FACE INTENSE. INEQUALITY. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR REGION? AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS BEING. DONE TO CHANGE THAT? NELSON RAFAEL ROMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NUEVA ESPERANZA, SAT DOWN WITH ME TO SHARE HIS THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER. >> MY INITIAL REACTION TO THE. GLOBE REPORTES THAT IT'S SPOT ON. IN SOME CASES IN WESTERN MASS, IT'S MORE FELT IN A MORE DIRE SITUATION, BUT I FELT IT'S, EXTREMELY ACCURATE TO SAY THAT THIS IS TRUE, AND THAT IS REALITY FOR A LOT LATINO COMMUNITIES IN WESTERN MASS AS WELL. WHETHER IT WAS EDUCATION OR. UNDOCUMENTED INDIVIDUALS OR EVEN THE MEDIAN INCOME LEVELS,, EVERYTHING IN THE GLOBE REPORT IS 100% ACCURATE. >> LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE, SPECIFIC NUMBERS AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW TOMORROW BE IN WESTERN MASS. "THE BOSTON GLOBE" REPORT SAYS, THAT LATINOS HOUSEHOLD STATEWIDE EARN ABOUT 39,700 COME MAYORED. TO WHITES THAT EARN $89 THOWL -- 89,000 OR SO. 20% OF LATINOS OWN A HOME,, COMPARED TO 69% OF WHITES. AND TON EMPLOYMENT RATE, 12%. LET'S LOOK AT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, FIRST. >> IN SOUTH HOLYOKE, THAT IS A, 45% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, ACCORDING TO CITY DATA., 45%. SO WHEN YOU TAKE THE AVERAGE OF, THE CITY WIDE, OF COURSE IT LOOKS SUPER LOW, OR THE STATEWIDE AVERAGES. BUT IN SOME LOCAL COMMUNITIES LIKE HOLYOKE OR SPRINGFIELD, IN HIS POCKETS OF CENSUS TRACK WHERE THERE'S A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF LATINOS, YOU COULD SEE UPWARDS OF OVER 20% UNEMPLOYMENT RATES. WE FORMED AN ASSOCIATION THREE. YEARS AGO THAT HAVE COMPANIES -- A LOT OF THE NEW MARIJUANA. COMPANIES COMING INTO HOLYOKE, THEY HAVE HIRED SUPER HYPER. LOCALIZED HIRING CONTRACTS WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. >> LOOK AT THE CASINO IN. SPRINGFIELD, THE PETITION THAT THEY SIGNED, OR THE AGREEMENT,, EXCUSE ME, THEY SIGNED WITH THE CITY REQUIRES THAT THEY HIRE, LOCAL FIRST. >> EXACTLY. OR IN THE CASE OF HOLYOKE THEY, BUILT THEIR NEW CULINARY ARTS CENTER RIGHT IN DOWNTOWN AND. THEY'RE GIVING UP TO 12 TO 15 FREE TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS TO, INDIVIDUALS FROM HOLE WOKE TO GET THEIR CERTIFICATES. >> IMMIGRATION IN THE GLOBE. REPORT THERE ARE ABOUT 68,000 UNDOCUMENTED LATINOS IN MASSACHUSETTS. DOES THAT IMMIGRATION STATUS. PREVENT PEOPLE FROM WORKING WITHIN SYSTEMS AND TRYING TO, IMPROVE THEMSELVES? >> IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS AND IN THE GLOBE REPORT THIS LAST NATIONAL ELECTION YOU'VE SEEN A, DECLINE IN INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DOCUMENTED WANTING TO COME OUT. OR GET BENEFITS OR THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED TO HELP, THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY'RE SCARED FOR DEPORTATION. >> ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISSUE, THERE PEOPLE HERE WHO OART HAVE GOT THEN LINE AND GONE

THROUGH THE LEGAL SYSTEM TO BECOME A DOCUMENTED PERSON HERE IN THE COUNTRY, OR THEY'RE AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO SAY THE LAW IS THE LAW. >> WHETHER YOU'RE A LEGAL IMGRANT AS A WEATHER REFUGEE OR AN ECONOMIC REFUGEE OR IF YOU'RE COMING FROM A COUNTRY THAT JUST SO HAPPENS TO NOT HAVE THE, DOCUMENTATION NEEDED LIKE FROM CENTRAL OR LATIN AMERICA, YOU'RE STILL COMING HERE FOR OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE HAVE TO BE WHO WE SAY WE UNDER THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AND WELCOME THE, TIRED, HUNGRY SICK AND POOR, AND STILL LET THEM IN THROUGH THE DUE PROCESS. BUT TO SAY YOU'RE WRONG FOR BEING HERE IS NOT A GOOD THING. A LOT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE. WORKING AND SENDING ABOUT 90% OF THEIR INCOME BACK TO THEIR, COUNTRY TO HELP THEIR FAMILIES COME HERE LEGALLY. >> THERE WAS A LAW PASSED IN. NOVEMBER THAT SAID IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO, TEACH IN ENGLISH FIRST. STATE WILD A THIRD OF STUDENTS HAVE ENGLISH AS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE THERE. ARE QUITE A FEW SPANISH SPEAKERS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM HERE. IS IT ENOUGH? WHAT'S THE PROCESS THERE? >> IT'S HUGE IN WESTERN MASS THE FACT THAT BILINGUAL EDUCATE GOT ELIMINATED IN THE 90'S WAS REAL A DETRIMENT. IT SEPARATED THE FACT THAT A LOT OF TIMES I KNOW IN HOLYOKE ALMOST 73% OF CHILDREN, THEIR FAMILIES ARE SPANISH ONLY. THEY'RE LEARNING IN ENGLISH, BUT. THEIR PRIMARY LANGUAGE WHEN THEY GO HOME IS SPANISH. SO BILINGUAL EDUCATION NEEDS TO, COME BACK. AND THE OTHER THING WAS THE DUAL, LANGUAGE PROGRAM THAT THE REPORT BROUGHT UP. THAT THERE ARE DUAL LANGUAGE. PROGRAMS THAT EXIST. HOLYOKE HAS ONE, BUT IT'S IN A. NEIGHBORHOOD SO FAR FROM THE LATINO SPANISH SPEAKING POP THAWLINGS THEY STRUGGLE TO GET THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO SIGN UP. AND WHETHER, IF A MOTHER HAS, THREE KIDS WITH A CAR AND IT'S TALL WAY UP THE HILL, SHE'S NOT GOING TO SIGN UP FOR THAT PROGRAM. SO I'M HAPPY THAT, MASSACHUSETTS REPEALED THE ELIMINATION OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION. NOW WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT IT. HOW DO WE MAKE THAT MORE. ACCESSIBLE. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD. OUT TO ME WAS THE ISSUE AROUND COLLEGES AND THAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT IF YOU'RE A LATINO STUDENT WITH GOOD GRADES, CAN YOU GET A FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP TO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY OF ARE PEOPLE EVE ANSWER WEAR OF THAT? >> NO, AND IT'S FUNNY YOU SAY. THAT MY PARTNER IS A GRADUATE OF NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY. SO HE. ONLY FOUND THAT OUT WHILE HE WAS AT HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THAT'S WHERE WESTERN MASS REALLY SHINES. THEY ARE REACHING OUT TO THE. LATINO COMMUNITIES IN WAYS THAT I THINK OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN. MASSACHUSETTS SHOULD EMULATE. >> ANOTHER THING POINTED OUT IN, THE GLOBE STORY IS THAT PEOPLE FEEL INVISIBLE. YOU'VE BEEN HERE A DECADE, WHEN. YOU FIRST CAME IN YOU WERE HOMELESS. >> YES, I STARTED OFF IN HOLYOKE, AND I STRUGGLED. I WOULD GO TO WELFARE OR HAVE TO

WAIT IN LINE, THEN THERE WAS THE HOME BASED PROGRAM FOR SINGLE. INDIVIDUALS WITH NO DEPENDENTS. SO THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS HELP MED GET ON MY FEET. THAT. PROGRAM IS NOW ALL BUT GONE. WHEN I WENT INTO THESE WELFARE OFFICES OR THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE, IT WAS ALL LATINOS OR PEOPLE OF COLOR. SOY FELT LIKE I WAS JUST A. NUMBER, BUT ALSO FELT LIKE I WAS IN A SEA OF LATINOS. SO AFTER THAT I GOT INTO ORGANIZING THE LGBT COMMUNITY AND LATINO COMMUNITY TO CHANGE THAT FACT. STILL TO THIS DAY I STILL FEEL INVISIBLE SOMETIMES. >> SO YOUR ORGANIZATION, LOOSELY. TRANSLATED, NEW DAWN OR NEW HOPE, EVEN IN THE FACE OF THESE NEGATIVE STATISTICS, DO YOU STILL HAVE HOPE, DO YOU STILL, EXPRESS THAT HOPE TO OTHERS? >> WE SURE DO AND THAT'S WHY I'M, SO PROUD TO LEAD THIS ORGANIZATION AND PROUD OF THE, FACT THAT EVEN IN OUR MISSION NOW WE COMPLETELY CHANGED OUR MISSION TO SAY WE EXIST TO BE A PARTNER FOR A VIBRANT AND. SUSTAINABLE AND POWERFUL COMMUNITY. WE'RE DOING THAT THROUGH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THROUGH CULTURAL AWARENESS AND. EXCITEMENT AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. AND THE GLOBE REPORT SAID THAT, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. ASSES --. AT EASY PRANSA. WE'RE WORKING WITH SPRINGFIELD, NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES TO CREATE MORE HOMEOWNERSHIP. FIRST TIME CLASSES IN SPANISH. WE'RE WORKING WITH HIS AGENCIES, NOW, ALLOW THE MARIJUANA COMPANIES THAT ARE OPENING IN. HOLYOKE COME THROUGH OUR DOORS. WE PARTNER WITH MGM TO FIND, QUALIFIED CANDIDATES. SO WE ARE. NEW HOPE AND THAT'S WHAT NUEVA WAS FOUNDED ON. LOOK AT SPRINGFIELD, THE SOUTH END CENTER, YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE --. WESTERN MASS HAS A RICH AMOUNT OF LATINO ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE STATE DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THAT. BUT JUST WITHIN OUR TWO, COMMUNITIES THERE'S A BIG POCKET. BUT LOOK AT COMMUNITIES LIKE CHICOPEE, EAST HAMPTON JUST ELECTED THEIR FIRST PUERTO RICO, AN CITY COUNCILOR. >> ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC FOR. WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS, AFTER READING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BOSTON? >> I AM BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE, AHEAD OF THE CURVE. WE ARE NOW WORKING TOGETHER AS LATINO ORGANIZATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE FAMILY RESOURCE, CENTER IS WORKING ON INDIVIUALS IN THE SCHOOL, BUT ALSO MY. GRANTS COMING IN. AND WE'RE WORKING ON MEETING, RIGHT AFTER THIS WITH PROVIDENCE MINISTRIES DIRECTOR ON FOOD, ACCESS AND FOOD JUSTICE, SO WE'RE COMING TOGETHER IN A MORE, STRATEGIC WAY. FOR HURRICANE MARIA RELIEF, THE STATE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM SAID, LOOK AT HOLYOKE, THEY'RE THE LEADERS.,