City & State and Spectrum host event celebrating Latino leaders

On Wednesday, City & State and Spectrum hosted a special webinar celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The webinar celebrated the advancement of Latino Americans in government while representing Hispanic communities and culture themselves.

Hispanic Heritage Month commemorates the remarkable contributions of Latinos in the United States and honors their culture, and Wednesday’s webinar provided a forum for prominent Latino voices in city and state government to highlight the ways that they have represented Hispanic New Yorkers. 

The event began with opening remarks by Laura Berrocal, the vice president of policy and external affairs at Charter Communications, which is also known as Spectrum. As moderator of the event, she introduced the incredible and accomplished speakers who came together to speak about the mark they make in the government by working diligently for their respective constituents and proudly representing Latinos across New York State. 

The first speaker was Ana Almanzar, deputy mayor of strategic initiatives, who talked about how she has advocated and fought for equality and equity for all New Yorkers. “I am proud to work with Mayor Adams who has built a team that truly reflects the rich diversity of our city, including Hispanic leadership,” she said, adding that Hispanic Heritage Month should be celebrated every day. Almanzar recounted stories from her childhood in the Dominican Republic and the hardships she faced growing up in abject poverty in a developing country. “It does take a village to raise a child, but I am convinced that it requires a community – now a city – led by teachers, nonprofit providers, civic leaders, public servants, to do so,” she said. 

New York City Council Member Carmen de la Rosa spoke on the importance of Hispanic voices in government. “One of the things that has been so powerful, being an elected official of Latino heritage is stepping into rooms where I know that our voices are so needed,” she said. De la Rosa emphasized the importance of celebrating the full diversity of the Hispanic community and “understanding that the Hispanic community is not a monolith, we all share unique immigration stories.”

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez continued the conversation by discussing how her personal experiences influenced her political views. “I grew up in one of the most diverse cities in the world. And that shaped my experience and my political views” she said. Gonzalez emphasized the importance of Latino voices in government. “There are often times that folks might try to challenge or push a perspective that I bring into the space. But I think so much of what I do is really informed by that lived experience” she said. “We are experts in our experiences and our voices are needed more and more.”

Assembly Member John Zaccaro spoke of his experiences working on a political campaign in 2008, his entry into the political sphere. “It was there where I got first hand experience and looking and seeing a lot of what people were dealing with and a lot of the issues they were suffering with were issues that stemmed from years and years of disinvestment in our communities” he said. Zaccaro also shared some of his personal experiences. “As a kid who was raised by a single parent, and suffered the issues of housing insecurity my entire adult life, it really led me to understand the importance of just being a Latino in government, really bringing forth your lived experiences to the work we do everyday,” he said.

Adolfo Carrión Jr., the commissioner of the city’s Housing Preservation and Development department, closed out the conversation by speaking about the housing crisis in New York City. He specifically highlighted the lack of access to affordable and safe housing for Latino Americans in the city. “The work we do is about community building,” he said. “One of the most important building blocks or foundations for a family is their home because it’s the place that will allow the nurturing of the entirety of the person.” 

Toward the end of the webinar, Carrión noted how inspired he was to see so many Hispanic voices in city government. “When I see all these young Latino leaders that have emerged in our city, it gives me so much inspiration, so much optimism about the future,” he said.