This webinar brought attention to the rising number of Latine people in the United States and the power they hold as a collective. Marcelo played a video created for Liberty Mutual which stated that America is the second–largest Spanish–speaking country in the world. Anna Maria Chávez also came with new research-based statistics, saying that Latine people account for 73% of the growth of the US labor force since 2010, even though they represent only 18.6% of the population. The Latine community’s consumption also grew more than three times faster than non-Latine consumption, showing that Hispanic people play a vital role in our continued growth as a society.

Marcelo kicked off the webinar with a beautiful anecdote about growing up as a gay man in Chile and expressed how appreciative he was of how he grew up. By being true to his authentic self and his culture, he was able to realize how special his Hispanic heritage is, and his desire to honor it grew as he got older. He closed out his story by reminding all of us in attendance that Latine people represent many different types of people and values, and we all need to be intentional about including all the diversity within the Latine community.

Keeping this beautiful journey in mind, here are some key takeaways from the session:

The Importance of Community

One theme that ran throughout the webinar, was the resilience and necessity of community among Latine people. One of the first things Anna Maria Chávez mentioned was that she grew up “understanding the meaning of community.” She knew from a young age how powerful community could be when everyone comes together for the greater good. The Latine community is multidimensional and multigenerational and often comes together to protect their own. There is space for everyone, and no one should feel discouraged for being who they are and representing their space. Priscilla, Johanna, and Marcelo highlighted the diversity of the Latine community, expressing how appreciative they are of the many different facets that come together to weave this colorful tapestry. Standing together to support and represent the community is powerful. Community allows for support to enact change and progress that can be scary to initiate, but the payoff can be worth it when lasting change happens.

Johanna mentioned that she supports her community by changing the way she speaks about her home country of Venezuela. The vision of Code for Venezuela mentions using the “immense human capital of our community” and using that power to “funnel it towards effective initiatives” to help support the country. She also has made a space for others to create projects that directly impact the community and allow them to give back to their home country.

ERGs and Advocacy

Anna Maria Chávez closed out her keynote speech by speaking on the importance of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and why they are necessary. ERGs are an important tool for organizations to ensure that every demographic group is advocated for and feels as though they can bring their authentic self to work. Priscilla Fuentes, of the American Red Cross, spoke on the importance of Employee Resource Groups and how they help minority groups advocate for themselves, serve as a place for mentorship, and help change the greater community outside of the company. The ERG she mentioned, Latino Resource Group, was created to provide Latine employees and volunteers with a chance to connect with people at the top of the organization and build relationships. She credits “receiving support from the top of the organization” for the program’s success. She also mentioned that the group has been able to advocate for the Latine community outside of the company and is able to serve them better than they had before.

By allowing Hispanic employees to have a space where they feel comfortable speaking about issues in their communities’, better solutions can come about. Priscilla mentioned that by gaining an understanding of the cultural connotations that surround the Red Cross in Hispanic countries, they were able to change their help response and influence the course of the company’s future. By knowing the culture, they can advocate for those who need it most.

Staying True to Yourself and Your Culture

The Hispanic community is about staying true to yourself while also honoring your culture. The moderator, keynote speaker, and panelists, all reaffirmed that having strong ties to their culture is key to being able to honor it. Marcelo said that when he moved to the United States for college, he learned to love his country (Chile) and culture more than when he lived there. Priscilla commented on how knowing Hispanic culture helped shift her response to Hispanic communities in crisis. Johanna cited wanting to change the narrative around how Latine people speak about their country by doing something positive.

As members of diverse and multifaceted cultures, they also spoke about how to stay true to yourself and not be pigeonholed or stereotyped at work. Priscilla and Johanna both spoke on the pressure to fit into the Latine stereotype of having a sassy, outgoing personality and how that isn’t the case for most people. By being yourself, and not a caricature, it’s easier to advocate for your culture. By being authentic, one can really elicit the change they want to see happen for their community.

Each heritage month, Seramount hosts a celebratory webinar for all employees of our Diversity Best Practices member organizations to facilitate engagement, learning, conversation, and community. Interested in learning more about membership? Contact us.

The post Lessons from Seramount’s Hispanic Heritage Month Webinar appeared first on Seramount.

According to the most recent Census, approximately 18% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

In an effort to pay tribute to Hispanic Americans, Seramount has compiled a list of key organizations serving the Latino community.

Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA)
The Association of Latino Professionals for America’s mission is to empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy. It was the first national Latino professional association in the United States, established in Los Angeles in 1972.

The Committee for Hispanic Families and Children (CHFC)
The Committee for Hispanic Families and Children aims to improve the quality of life for Hispanic children and families. CHFC has developed and implemented programs that meet the needs of low-income Hispanic families and children in such critical areas as youth development, child care, HIV/AIDS prevention and education, immigrant services, public policy and advocacy.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)
The mission of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute is to develop the next generation of Hispanic leaders. Its vision is an educated and civically active Hispanic community that participates at the local, state and federal policy decision-making levels. CHCI seeks to accomplish its mission by offering educational and leadership development programs, services and activities that promote the growth of participants as effective professionals and strong leaders. In the spirit of building coalitions, CHCI seeks to establish partnerships with other Hispanic and non-Hispanic organizations.

Council for Latino Workplace Equity (CLWE)
Under the umbrella of the National Diversity Council, the purpose of the Council for Latino Workplace Equity is to foster workplace equity for Latino talent and seek inclusion and opportunity for Latino leaders to claim their place at the table with certainty and conviction.

They achieve their mission by:

• Highlighting the pertinent issues concerning Latinos in the workplace to bring awareness to both challenges and opportunities.
• Leveraging commitment from corporate and community leaders to advance equal opportunities for Latinos in the workplace.
• Implementing discussion panels, forums and educational programs to address challenges, incite change and foster equity for Latinos in the workplace.

The Culture Marketing Council
The Culture Marketing Council is known as “The Voice of Hispanic Marketing” and is the only national trade organization representing the entire Hispanic marketing, communications and media industry. For the past 20 years, as the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies and later as AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing, they have championed the Hispanic market in corporate boardrooms and advocated for increased investment in multicultural marketing strategies – all while ensuring that experts with trusted Hispanic cultural expertise were at the forefront of this discussion.

Hispanic Alliance for Career Advancement (HACE)
Since 1982, The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) has served as a resource for Latinos in the workplace and is an expert matter for corporations seeking to access diverse talent. HACE is a national non-profit dedicated to the employment, development, and advancement of current and aspiring Latino professionals. Through professional development, resources and networks, and by facilitating access to career opportunities, HACE helps Latinos succeed in every phase of their careers.

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities is a national organization representing the accredited colleges and universities in the United States where Hispanic students constitute at least 25 percent of the total student enrollment.

Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR)
The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) strives to ensure that participation of the Hispanic community in corporate America is commensurate with Hispanic purchasing power. Responsible corporations endeavor to include Hispanics in employment, procurement, philanthropy and corporate governance.

Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA)
The Hispanic National Bar Association is the incorporated, nonprofit, national association of Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors and law students committed to promoting the goals and objectives of the association. The HNBA has been the principal force behind the increased representation of Hispanics in all sectors of the legal profession, and has served as the legal voice for Hispanics for more than 20 years.

Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA)

The Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) is a new and dynamic association that has been fully operational since 2016.

Comprised of US Latinos that serve on publicly traded or large privately held company boards, as well as C-level aspiring directors, LCDA convenes accomplished Latino executives at the highest levels of corporate leadership who share the mission: to advocate and serve as a resource to increase the number of US Latinos on corporate boards.

Their model is focused on expanding opportunities and lifting up the next wave of Latino directors.

They are at the forefront in preparing Latinos for board service and promoting them onto boardrooms. LCDA members occupy more than 30% of the board seats held by Latinos on Fortune 1000 companies.

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a national nonprofit organization with the principal objective of protecting and promoting the civil rights of U.S. Latinos through litigation, advocacy, educational outreach and the awarding of law scholarships.

National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The association strives to organize and provide mutual support for Hispanics involved in the gathering or dissemination of news, encourage and support the study and practice of journalism and communications by Hispanics, foster and promote the fair treatment of Hispanics by the media, further the employment and career development of Hispanics in the media and foster a greater understanding of Hispanic media professionals’ special cultural identity, interests, and concerns.

NALEO Educational Fund (NALEO)
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund empowers Hispanics to participate fully in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. NALEO carries out this mission by developing and implementing programs that promote the integration of Hispanic immigrants into American society, developing future leaders among Hispanic youth, providing assistance and training to the nation’s Hispanic elected and appointed officials, and by conducting research on issues important to the Hispanic population.

National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC)
The mission of the National Hispanic Corporate Council is to provide its member corporations with the resources, market intelligence, collective expertise, education, and counsel to implement proven strategies for reaching the Hispanic community externally and leveraging Hispanic talent internally.

National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA)
The National Hispanic Council on Aging addresses issues of health disparities, economic security, abuse, and victimization of the elderly and their families and builds affordable housing for the elderly.

National Hispanic Institute (NHI)
The National Hispanic Institute targets top Hispanics in high school and college and conducts creative leadership training to develop students’ self-marketing, networking, college planning and organizational development skills.

National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA)
The mission of the National Hispanic Medical Association is to improve the health of Hispanics and other underserved populations. As a rapidly growing national resource based in the nation’s capital, NHMA provides policymakers and health care providers with expert information and support in strengthening health service delivery to Hispanic communities across the nation. This organization represents 36,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States.

Prospanica
Prospanica has hosted annual career and professional development conferences, connecting thousands of Hispanics to graduate programs, subject matter experts, corporations, and each other. Prospanica has given over $8 million in scholarships for graduate education.

Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE)
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles, was formed as a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community. Today, SHPE enjoys a strong but independent network of professional and student chapters throughout the nation.

The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute
The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute was founded as an independent, nonprofit research organization to foster sound public policies and programs relevant to the Hispanic community. Policy focus areas include: Latinos and the criminal justice system, civic engagement and capacity building among immigrant-serving organizations.

UnidosUS
UnidosUS—formerly known as the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—has remained a trusted, nonpartisan voice for Latinos. It is the country’s largest national constituency-based Hispanic advocacy organization and was established to reduce poverty and discrimination and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. UnidosUS serves the Hispanic community through research, policy analysis, and state and national advocacy efforts, as well as program work in communities nationwide.

United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to bringing the issues and concerns of the nation’s more than 2 million Hispanic-owned businesses to the forefront of the national economic agenda. Throughout its nearly 25-year history, the USHCC has enjoyed outstanding working relationships with international heads of state, members of Congress and the current White House administration. Through its network of more than 150 local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and Hispanic business organizations, the organization effectively communicates the needs and potential of the Hispanic enterprise to the public and private sector.

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