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Cumbre Capital
connecting Latino agencies,
building Latino communities
September 2, 2009
Vol. 1, Issue 2 | |
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Letter from the Executive Director
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 Dear Members, Partners, and Friends:
As
we approach the latter part of Hispanic Heritage Month, a number of our
member agencies prepare their annual events. Many of them do so
in celebration of nearly 30 years of service to the Latino
community and to the District of Columbia. Latinos have enjoyed a
strong presence in the greater Washington metropolitan area for over
three decades and the importance of the Latino non-profit sector's work
cannot be denied. Latino-based NGOs in the greater DC area offer a wide
array of services and resources in areas that include the arts,
comprehensive family care, senior citizen support, health assistance,
maternal care, advocacy and more.
As we celebrate three decades of Latino community presence and
Latino nonprofits' service, we are nevertheless reminded of the long
road ahead. Disparities in health outcomes for Latinos in the United
States remains a serious issue, one with no easy solution.
The ongoing economic recession has hit Latinos hard in terms of
housing foreclosures, unemployment and health. In this month's
newsletter we highlight recent advocacy on health disparities and
research on economic outcomes for DC Latinos.
Working together as a community, I know we can meet these
challenges, as we have in the past. I encourage everyone to
support health care reform for all and salute our many agencies for
their unflagging dedication to improving the quality of life for
Latinos throughout the greater Washington area.
Saludos,
Rodrigo B. Leiva
Executive Director
Latino Federation of Greater Washington
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| Upcoming Events |
Oct. 1: Celebration of the Central American Resource Center ( CARECEN)'s 28th Anniversary with a Benefit Dinner in Washington, DC
Oct. 13: Immigrant Rights Rally on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building at 3:00 p.m. Oct. 14: �ntimo, a benefit event for GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington, DC Oct. 27: Vida Senior Centers 40th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, DC
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Special Event |
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Thursday, October 1
Free Social Networking Gathering for Nonprofit Leaders of Color
7:00pm to 10:00pm
Columbia Hilton Hotel
5485 Twin Knolls Road
Columbia, MD.
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| Member Services: Latino Federation Supports Education in the District |
On
Saturday, September 12, 2009, the Latino Federation of Greater
Washington (LFGW) in its role as a coalition partner of the DC Family
Education Partnership, collaborated in the 2nd Annual DC Family
Education Expo. The theme of the event was "Education Excellence: All
Students. All Parents. All Families" and was held at Bell
Multicultural High School in Ward 1 of the District of Columbia.
The
Expo was a day-long community event where families gained valuable
information and tools to support them in the education of their
children and of themselves. During the Expo, families had the
opportunity to attend workshops and meander through an exhibition hall
with a variety of education resources. Some of the topics of the
workshops were "Helping Children with Homework", "Parent and Student
Rights", "Special Education, "Technology and Education", "College
Preparedness", "Financial Aid Planning" and much more!
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is estimated that last year, the Expo had over 60 participating
organizations and over 500 local residents attending. This year was no
different. The Latino Federation was proud to participate in such
a worthwhile endeavor as education and the family with so many
dedicated organizations and individuals. The LFGW would like to
take this opportunity to send kudos to those of its member agencies
that participated in the Expo as an organizer, an exhibitor, or a host,
particularly Multicultural Community Service (MCS), The Family Place, Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, and Bell Multicultural High School. |
| Advocacy: Health Disparities and Health Reform |
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On September 22, 2009, the National
Working Group of Health Disparities and Health Reform, of which the
Latino Federation of Greater Washington is a member, held a Senate
briefing on "Cost-Savings of Reducing Health Disparities in Health
Reform."
The focus of the briefing was twofold: first, to
highlight the costs associated with health disparities in the United
States and second, the cost-savings that would be realized from
reducing these critical disparities. The briefing also included
discussions about the importance of accurate and up-to-date data
collection, workforce development, language access and health
coverage. Panelists included a number of directors from health agencies
and associations. The consensus among the panelists and the
participants was that health disparities, which affect a
disproportionately growing number of the population, drain an already
over-burdened economy. Timothy Waidmann of the Urban Institute
estimates that in 2009, disparities among African-Americans, Hispanics,
and non-Hispanic whites has cost the health care system $23.9 billion
dollars. By 2050, this amount will double to $50 billion as the number
of older Latino and African American increases. |
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Research: DC Latinos Hit Hard by Economic Recession
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 The
Latino Federation conducted a recent survey of Mount Pleasant residents
to determine how Ward One residents have been affected by the economic
recession. Not surprisingly, we found that many people are facing
multiple hardships and that Latinos tend to be more negatively affected
than their non-Latino neighbors.
In our survey of 288 people,
conducted in both English and Spanish, 46.7% of respondents were
female and 53.3% were male. Most lived in the neighborhoods of Mount
Pleasant or Columbia Heights. Of those we
interviewed, 39.4% identified themselves as white non-Latino,
37.6% identified as Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% as black non-Latino, 1.3%
as Asian or Pacific Islander, 2.2% as bi- or multi-racial and 3.5% as
other.
We asked what economic impacts people had experienced in the last year. Here are some highlights from our findings:
- Almost one-third (31.6%) of survey respondents said that they or someone in their household had lost his or her job
in the last year. Latino households were more likely to have
experienced unemployment in the last year: 41.2% of Latinos said
someone in their household had lost a job compared to 25.9% of
non-Latinos.
- One third (33.8%) of those surveyed said that they or someone in their household had taken a cut in pay in the last year, where 38.8% of Latinos and 30.8% of non-Latinos reported being affected in this way.
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Eighteen percent of all respondents said that they or someone in their household experienced a serious illness in the past year. This was true for 15.3% of Latinos and 19.6% of non-Latinos.
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Over one quarter (26.3%) of all respondents said that they or someone in their household did not have health insurance at some point in the past year. Latinos (28.2%) were more likely than non-Latinos (25.2%) to be uninsured.
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One in ten respondents said that they or someone in their household had to quit school or another activity in the last year in order to work. This is true for 16.5% of Latinos and 6.3% of non-Latinos.
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More than one-third of respondents (34.2%) said their household had experienced two or more of these hardships
in the past year. Latino households were more likely than non-Latino
households to experience two or more economic shocks: 38.8% of Latino
respondents compared to 30.7% on non-Latinos.
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Overall, 20.2% of respondents said that they were
doing better than this time last year, 28.5% said they were doing worse
and 51.3% said they were doing about the same. However, almost
twice as many Latinos (40%) as non-Latinos (21.7%) said that they were
doing worse now as compared to this time last year.
For more information or to request a copy of these preliminary findings, please contact:
Elizabeth Shrader, LFGW Research Director, eshrader@latinofederation.org. |
| Spotlight on GALA Theatre |
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For
over three decades, GALA has held steadfastly to its mission. "Our
philosophy has always been that language is not a barrier, but a bridge
from one culture to another. We work towards enhancing cultural
awareness both in Columbia Heights and DC," says Sandra Sampayo,
Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
El Grupo Artistas
Latinoamericanos -- GALA -- was created in 1976 by Hugo and Rebecca
Medrano in an effort to preserve and promote Hispanic culture in the
U.S. and to share a rich heritage with the general public through a
varied performing arts program. Each season, GALA performs four major
stage productions, mostly in Spanish but sometimes in English, as well
as a variety of smaller productions throughout the year.GALA represents
a number of Latin American countries each season, reflected not only in
the actors, but in the directors, playwrights and subject of the plays
themselves. "GALA is coming up on its 35th anniversary and it is
unique in DC. No one does what we do," says Ms. Sampayo.
GALita,
which performs plays and musicals for younger audiences, is one of
GALA's most valued features. "Many children here are born from
immigrant parents and we think it is important for a child to embrace
both cultures. The rich culture from another place shouldn't disappear
just because the child is in a different country," Ms. Sampayo
emphasizes.
Now showing at GALA on 14th Street is Lucid (L�cido),
by Argentine playwright Rafael Spregelburd, about a young man who
escapes reality through dreams. And for younger audiences, GALita is
currently showing two bilingual musicals. The World is a Handkerchief (El mundo es un pa�elo) captivates audiences when a "magical hanky" transports Titiloco the Clown to new and mysterious places. In Cri-Cri: The Singing Cricket (El grillito cantor), parents and children alike enjoy this interactive play full of childhood songs. The 2009-2010 season includes Beauty of the Father, set in Grenada, Spain, The Puppet Play of Don Crist�bal set during the Spanish Civil War and lastly Bola: Cuba's Ambassador of Spoken Song
about Afro-Cuban singer and composer Ignacio Villa. A number of
other productions can be found on Gala's website that will be performed
throughout the season in addition to the main shows.
The Latino Federation is proud to have  Theatre as a member agency.
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| Advocacy: Support Immigrant Rights |
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Rodrigo Leiva
Executive Director
Latino Federation of Greater Washington
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