The Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs (ALMAS) held its “SOMOS Naperville (We are Naperville): Growing Diverse Leadership” event on Tuesday at the DuPage Children’s Museum.
The event featured a panel discussion about the importance of the Latino voice and empowering the community.
The importance of the Latino community in Illinois
It began with a presentation by Dr. Teresa Cordova, Director of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago, who spoke about the importance of the Latino community in Illinois.
“We are right now saving Illinois, our presence here. And I mean that by saying not only are we saving it by virtue of our numbers, by virtue of our population, but by virtue of our participation in the economy as workers, as consumers, [and] as small business [owners],” said Cordova.
The need for a Latino voice
Dr. Cordova said having a large community presence makes political representation even more important.
State Rep. Dagmara Avelar spoke on the importance of undocumented and lawful permanent residents voicing their opinions.
“The fact that you might not have the right to vote does not mean that you cannot go to your local school board and voice your opinion. It does not mean that you can’t come to your state representative’s office and voice your opinion, your opinion is just as valid,” said Avelar.
She also reminded Latinos who are U.S. citizens why they shouldn’t take voting for granted.
“The power of vote is absolutely critical in making sure that we make our voices heard because it’s not just about me, not just about my mixed-status family, it’s about everybody else who does not have a voice,” said Avelar.
Providing resources to the Latino community
The panelists also discussed giving back to the Latino community.
Author and Latina sports pilot Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz spoke about her books and how she uses her platform to not only tell the stories of Latinas but to motivate the community as well.
“I have over 50 anthologies and every single one of those books has between 15 and 100 people. So you can kind of do the math, it’s incredible,” said Camacho-Ruiz.
Simitrio Cruz, the co-owner of Nature’s Best Cafe in Naperville spoke about coming to the United States from Mexico at the age of 19, and how grateful he was for his work opportunities that led to his success.
As a cafe owner, he tries to return the favor to the community.
“With the cafe, we open the opportunity to kids from high school or kids that have graduated from college that are in need of learning, whether it’s some skills or [to] just have a job,” said Cruz.
Improving education access and success
Dr. Maribel Guerrero, the dual language coordinator for Naperville School District 203, shared some ideas that could help improve educational access for Latino students.
Guerrero recommended parent engagement programs to help eliminate the language barrier between schools and families and to guide students through higher education processes like applying for scholarships.
She also suggested a mentor program to guide young Latino students.
“Having someone that has gone through the same things that they have, someone that they can look forward to, someone that they can speak to, that is walking in the same steps as them, I feel is very powerful,” said Guerrero.
ALMAS is a non-profit organization that was created to support the Latino community and empower existing and rising Latino leaders in Naperville and nearby suburbs.
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