Economic Growth into the 21st Century:
Advancing a Latino Community Empowerment Initiative in Washington, D.C.
by Kevin Chavous
August 11, 1998

Chavous for Mayor Campaign
1327 Florida Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20010
Tel. 202-332-7400

Paid for and Authorized by the Chavous for Mayor Committee, Victor L. Reid, Treasurer

Introduction

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Latino community represents approximately five percent of the District of Columbia’s population. However, Latino community leaders and service providers have long maintained that this figure is extremely conservative, and the number of Latinos is closer to 50,000 — or approximately eight percent — of the District’s population. The Latino community represents a very important part of our economic, educational, social, and political infrastructure. Independent of their immigration status, Latinos in the District of Columbia pay taxes and actively contribute to the progress and
development of this great. city.

Despite their contributions, Latinos in the District do not receive their due from the system. The Mount Pleasant disturbances of 1991 were sad reminders that much of the redress the community sought remains illusive. Much needs to be done to rectify the pattern of unequal access to city services: quality education, police protection, decent housing, and economic development opportunities.

Our city’s fiscal crisis resulted in severe erosion of the gains made by the Latino community in the late 1980’s. Of the several high-visibility and long-term programs funded through the Latino Initiative of 1985, only three programs remain today. The decimation of the Mayor’s Office of Latino Affairs, the significant reductions in the number of Hispanic employees in D.C. government agencies and the continued lack of funding for critical programs are key examples of the negative impact that the fiscal and governance crisis has had on the Latino community.

Compounding this sad situation, is the fact that the Latino community continues to endure the anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping the country. It is no coincidence that most of the budget cuts affecting the Latino community took place in an increasingly intense atmosphere of racist and xenophobic hysteria. Measures and proposals advanced by often unscrupulous politicians seeking to blame immigrants, low income residents and people of color for the economic problems in their cities and states.

During the six years that I have served in the City Council, I have had the opportunity to learn that our government has failed the Latino community. We have not focused on the issues of disparity and unequal access affecting this community. Instead, we have looked the other way and pretended that the problem is simply not there.

We have not faced the issue of unequal educational opportunities for students with limited-English proficiency in the D.C. public schools.

We have not faced the fact that there are fewer Hispanic employees in District of Columbia government, including the D.C. Public School System, the University of the District of Columbia and other independent agencies.

We have not faced the fact that Latinos continue to be unrepresented in the City Council, and in executive appointed positions.

We have not faced the fact that the underlying causes of the Mount Pleasant disturbances continue to be unaddressed: discrimination, social marginalization and economic deprivation.

We have not faced the challenge of incorporating our Latino brothers and sisters into the process of fiscal and government reform.

In spite of these setbacks, the Latino community has persevered. Latino families continue to struggle to bring food to the table, send their children to school, buy homes and pay taxes. The Latino community has managed to carry on these tasks while simultaneously .contributing to the betterment of our city through the creation of an extensive network of non- profit organizations that provide critical child care, health, education, housing, youth development and recreation services to Latino children, youth, and elderly.

Much of what the Latino community has achieved has been with minimum help from our government and the business sector. Their labor, intellectual and financial assets, and indeed their future, have been invested in Washington, D.C.

Allow me to cite some examples:

Latinos in the Washington D.C. area invigorate our economy by purchasing more than $2 billion in goods and services each year.

Latinos keep our hotels and restaurants running, help build and repair our streets, provide child care, create small businesses and new jobs in our neighborhoods and expand the tax base of our city on a daily basis.

Visitors from the Americas and Spain represent 25 percent of all international visitors, and spend more than $220 million in the District.

Today, a new vision and dynamic drive this community to be more active participants in our social, cultural, and economic life and to be valuable partners in reshaping the new District of Columbia of the 21st Century.

The Chavous Administration recognizes the Latino community achievements and contributions to our society. I am, and will continue to be, committed to a full and equitable partnership in helping to significantly increase the participation of Latinos in our government and in the private sector. We will achieve this goal by improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods, including those with a significant Latino population.

Our commitment is driven by a belief in equal access to government resources, including capital, educational services, low and moderate income housing, job training and- economic growth opportunities.

Our profound disappointment in what government has failed to do, and our anger at the appalling discriminatory treatment afforded our Latino community, should give us the strength to move forward. We must be determined to address and rectify these challenges.

Today I am announcing a Latino Community Empowerment Initiative. The Initiative will help to strengthen our Latino community, improve education, improve the delivery of government services, retain existing businesses, and attract residential and business development within this community. The proposals I put forth here are part of a long range and comprehensive strategy. Our first steps focus on strategic projects and areas of priority. They include:

Economic Development
Small businesses and housing development, construction, and neighborhood infrastructure are the building blocks for economic empowerment. District government must work with the small business and construction strengths which are already obvious in the Latino community. Economic development funds and financing will be directed toward neighborhood commercial corridors in which Latinos are concentrated in order to stabilize, retain and attract viable investment and businesses.

Home Ownership
The Latino and African American communities share a strong family tradition — the extended family. The extended family nurtures the young and protects the elderly. The home is central to this. Thus, our Latino families must be supported so they can take advantage of our home-ownership opportunities in D.C. We want this community to stay, grow and prosper in our international city. I will use the Multicultural Home Ownership Demonstration Program as a model for this initiative in my administration. This program was implemented with the help of U.S. Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez in the aftermath of the Mount Pleasant Disturbances and was instrumental in the rehabilitation of several apartment buildings including the Adelante Housing Cooperative on Mount Pleasant Street.

Support the Community Resources Development Center (CRDC)
The CRDC calls for the acquisition and financing of a multi-purpose facility in the Columbia Heights area to include: The Carlos Rosario Adult Education Charter School, the Latin American Youth Center and other agencies. We will introduce the necessary legislation and help facilitate financing to insure that the educational and training capacity is upgraded. The CRDC will consolidate human, technical and financial resources under one roof. This will be cost-effective, and provide our Latino community — and our city — a first class multi-purpose training and educational facility anchored in the heart of the Latino community.

Financial and technical support for the expansion of Bell Multicultural High School
For too long the only multicultural high school in the city has operated without the benefits of a science lab, auditorium, cafeteria and gymnasium. This situation represents an appalling example of the unequal access to educational opportunities guaranteed by federal and local laws. We must rectify this tragic situation. I will initiate efforts to ensure that planned urban revitalization and development projects in the Columbia Heights area are authorized only if such plans include the financing and construction of facilities now lacking at Bell Multicultural High School.

International Pavilion
In an effort to increase neighborhood jobs and economic development through tourism and international trade, my administration will look into new and creative development projects. The Latino community of the District is culturally rich and multinational. Its population represents 23 countries from South, Central, and North America, the Caribbean and Spain. The economic linkage and trade potential this population brings to our city's economy in the years to come is enormous. We must be bold and visionary in order to take advantage of the benefits that such an international community brings to the city. As Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights have become thriving multicultural neighborhoods, we must take advantage of the future Metro site. We will explore the possibility of the construction of a neighborhood tourist attraction that will create jobs and business opportunities for the residents of the District of Columbia. My administration will be committed to researching such a plan.

In addition to the Latino Community Empowerment Initiative, the Chavous Administration will facilitate Latino leadership access to the D.C. Financial Control Board, Chief Management Officer, Chief Financial Officer and District government officials as they design and implement reforms that impact the District.

This partnership is an exercise in mutual support. Together Washingtonians of all colors, ethnic backgrounds, religions and classes can transform our beloved home. Together we can advance the quality of life for all of the people of the District of Columbia.