Leaders Reflect
What would philanthropic leaders have told themselves in December of 2019 that would help prepare them for what was to come in 2020 and 2021? Read more
Dawn Martinez Oropeza
executive director, Al Éxito
Dear Dawn,
Brace yourself for a changing world. Trust your instincts. Follow your heart. Continue to keep the Latinx students and community at the forefront of your work and the vision for Al Éxito.
Count on the groundwork you have laid with American Friends Service Committee’s Erica Johnson (Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice) to develop Latinx champions at leading companies and foundations. It will pay off during this time of crisis. Be patient. Not everyone will switch from using the 1970 term “Hispanic” to the more appropriate “Latino” or “Latinx,” but you did build the capacity of champion allies. Many of those allies will think of the Latinx community in this unprecedented time. Be ready. They will approach Al Éxito for ways in which they can better serve those who are willfully hidden due to unwelcoming, anti-immigrant political rhetoric. The largest percentage of the most vulnerable in our community did not receive financial support from the stimulus packages. The ally organizations thought of those families and gathered others to ensure that they had food and financial security. The time and energy invested will save many in our community. Thank you to the Des Moines Disaster Fund led by Mid-Iowa Health Foundation and Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines for embracing and supporting all members of the community!
Al Éxito has strong relationships in many Iowa communities due to the work of establishing programs and supporting some of the best Latinx leaders in the community. Trust in the network created because so many organizations will look to Al Éxito for data, contacts and anecdotal information to help inform their actions and decisions. Value the experience, research and information that Al Éxito contributes. Other organizations you will partner with will use their services and information as a source of revenue. For Al Éxito to fulfill its vision “to advance Iowa’s prosperity through Latinx excellence,” you must value your excellence. Nonprofits are not less than or unworthy. What Al Éxito brings to the table is needed to engage in the prosperity goal for other Latinx organizations and community members. The organization has to be viable and thriving to ensure that everyone is successful. And phenomenal employees like Gabby Guerra need to be compensated at comparable wages to keep them working for Al Éxito.
Al Éxito will accomplish many feats over the next few years. The Al Éxito Youth Mental Health Taskforce recommendations will launch the Compa en Camino Program (Partners on the Go) that continues to this day. Thousands of community members will receive food, supplies, funding for housing and medical bills. Youths will receive mental health services, weekly tutoring, access to the internet and laptops. Twenty-six retired community members and college students will have steady income giving back to the community in five languages. Two college students – Caroly Coronado-Vargas from Iowa State University and Ayah Al-Durazi from the University of Northern Iowa – will amaze you with their leadership abilities. They set Melissa Hildago at Grandview University up for great success at the Centro Al Éxito, providing a centralized, safe location where the Spanish-speaking community can come get assistance to navigate complex and compounded issues due to the pandemic.
But it won’t be enough! Those in power at the highest level will continue to view Latinx as a political pawn. They will put profit over human lives these coming years. Latinx workers in meat processing plants and the service industry are at great risk that will impact families, lives and communities. English-only laws will exacerbate the issue of not getting adequate information in the hands of workers. Many Latinx workers will die not having adequate safety precautions and supplies; they will be moved carrying the virus to other Al Éxito and Latinx communities as infected plants are forced to close, but business must continue. Find ways now to empower the Latinx workers with facts about their civil rights and ways to protect their families in the coming days. Worker incentives for extra pay do not equal the value of a life lost or for long illnesses attributed to COVID. Brace and strategize now for collective emergency efforts with Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa, EMBARC, University of Iowa Labor Center and the Iowa Commission for Latino Affairs. Together we can save lives! Si Se Puedes!
Al Éxito will be stronger after the pandemic. You will create initiatives that will create great change such as the Latinx Project, building new Latinx leaders and creating a baseline of data regarding Central Iowa Latinx. Remember to always keep students at the heart of the organization; they are our future. Protect them and keep them safe. Continue to provide opportunities and support to help them reach their goals. Keeping the youths and their families at the center of all Al Éxito’s decisions and work, you will accomplish your mission that all youths and families “fully participate and thrive in Iowa.”
Be well. Relish in the quality time with your boys at home. Connect and care for those you love. Take time to connect to nature and develop your spirit. Follow your heart.
In the words of Paramahansa Yogananda, “Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself.”
Why is philanthropy important to our community?
Systems historically are woven into the very foundation of American culture, society and laws that elevate dominant social groups. This has limited the opportunities and financial stability of non-dominant groups and organizations. Philanthropy provides opportunities of inclusion and equality for those not benefiting from inherent power or privilege. Philanthropy has the power to embrace and engage everyone, which ultimately strengthens the entire community.