Hispanics in America are making significant progress and are driving the country's prosperity forward. Our community is thriving, quickly becoming a powerful force in the United States.
The data is precise: Hispanics are crucial to America's economic success. Our businesses are growing unprecedentedly, and our workforce is expanding rapidly.
From small startups to Fortune 500 companies, Hispanic-owned businesses are making a significant contribution to the US economic prosperity, and we are continuously driving innovation and economic growth.
But our contributions are not just limited to the economic sphere. As Hispanics, we also gain power and influence in politics and society. Our population growth and increasing political representation pave the way for the rise and recognition of Hispanics as undeniable positive contributors to the country, Hispanic Stars.
Power, too, is becoming increasingly concentrated in our hands. As we continue to succeed economically and politically, we gain control, authority, and influence over others. We are becoming a controlling group, shaping the direction of our country and making our voices heard.
And finally, looking at our progress, from education to politics, Latinos are advancing positively and driving American progress. Progress is inherent to Hispanics because what truly unifies us is our desire to progress, to move forward. And that is an excellent thing for all because Hispanic progress is American progress.
These three themes - prosperity, power, and progress - are all interconnected. Our economic success leads to more power and influence, which, in turn, drives further progress for our community. It's a cycle propelling us forward, an exciting time to be a Hispanic in America, and a critical moment to mobilize and equip America to engage genuinely with Hispanics as employees, suppliers, consumers, and the community.
As we prepare to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, remember to find time to celebrate the achievements from the diverse communities that make up the face of this country. For more information on Hispanic Heritage Month visit cha.wa.gov.
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LLN Día de los Muertos Virtual Altar
As part of the Latino Leadership Network (LLN) Hispanic Heritage Month events, please help us create a Quilted Altar in celebration of the Day of the Dead.Go to the link below and enter the information about the person you want to commemorate before September 30, 2023
LLN Día de los Muertos Virtual Altar Form
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We are excited to welcome our new teammates! I am so proud to introduce these amazing, talented folks. In the next nine months we will be traveling around the state doing listening sessions and meeting community members and leaders. We will be hosting two listening sessions per county. For more information about our new teammates visit cha.wa.gov.
I am also proud to say that I will be leading this team, as the Assistant Director of Community Development. I am excited for this opportunity and to continue to impact, influence and create more access for the Latine community. I have to share that one of the most beautiful parts of this journey is creating opportunities for more Latine professionals to enter government work. Representation matters and together, we will continue to create more opportunity.
With Gratitude,
Nancy Aguilar
Born and raised in Wenatchee, Washington. Esmeralda has a bachelor's degree in Children Studies with a minor in Sociology and a master's in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University.
She is an entrepreneur with a small business and podcast highlighting first generation women. She is also a member of the Hispanic Business council in Wenatchee where she collaborates with dedicated leaders to help build trust and dismantle barriers for the Latinx community. She leads a 1 million cup event once a month to support businesses and entrepreneurs in Wenatchee.
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As the fifth of six children in his family, Adan was born in California to parents who were born in Los Ramones, Nuevo Leon México and had less than a 4th grade education. He and his family were migrant/seasonal farm workers, working in the vineyards of California picking grapes and other crops in Washington state.
Adan earned his Master’s degree in Education with credentials in Administration from Washington State University. He also holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Secondary Education with endorsements to teach Spanish and Physical Education from Eastern Washington University.
For the last ten years he worked as the Managing Director for Jubilee Foundation (Formally through Community Alliance for Service & Advancement), a faith-based organization that developed Tierra Vida, a community in Pasco. Here he has learned so much about community building and feels that true community building is done through getting to know others.
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Lili Navarrete is a passionate advocate for underserved communities, with a focus on the immigrant communities, both documented and undocumented, and others who suffer from social marginalization and workplace exploitation. In her previous occupation as the Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood’s Raíz (Spanish for “root”) Program, she works tirelessly to promote health equity and better outcomes for women in the immigrant community.
She has served as Vice President of Spokane’s Hispanic Business and Professional Association; is an active member of the Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network and also served as a commissioner for the Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
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Amber Hoefer (she/they) was born in the Pacific Northwest but was raised throughout the country as her father served in the Navy. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida. Following their undergraduate degree, Amber moved back to the Pacific Northwest and earned a Master of Education degree from Oregon State University.
Throughout their professional journey, Amber has been passionate about creating inclusive environments that empower individuals from all backgrounds. She strongly believes in the power of community as a tool for social change and strives to ensure access to resources for all.
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Washington State has a certification for Veterans and Servicemembers. Certification is free and requires only basic veteran discharge status and business information to complete.
WDVA and WEBS (Washington’s Electronic Business Solution) have teamed up to streamline the registration and certification process for vendors who want to do business with Washington State agencies or municipalities.
First register your business in WEBS then send in your certification documentation.
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Proof of Honorable Veteran Status (copy of 1 of the following items*)
Please redact sensitive information.
- DD214 member 4 copy, Retired VA ID Card, Retirement Certificate, Discharge Certificate - or if currently serving your military ID, badge, recent pay statement.
If you need to order a new copy of your DD214 you can do so at www.archives.gov.
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Proof of 51% ownership (copy of 1 of the following items*)
- Master Business application, business plan, operating agreement, meeting minutes, shares report, stock certificate breakdown, tax forms with ownership %, or if sole proprietorship your business license.
- If a community property or 2 veteran 50/50 split you are eligible as long as the veteran maintains day to day operational control of the business.
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Proof the business is a Washington State Enterprise which is defined as an enterprise which is incorporated in the state of Washington as a Washington domestic corporation, or an enterprise whose principal place of business is located within the state of Washington for enterprises which are not incorporated. More Information.
HEZ initiative aims to support communities in effecting change at a local level
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is pleased to announce the state’s rural and urban Health Equity Zones (HEZ) have been selected in Whatcom and south King Counties, respectively. A third zone for Native communities will be identified this winter by tribal community representatives. Each area chosen as a HEZ will receive $200,000 per year for at least two years to help identify health priorities and develop community action plans.
The HEZ initiative, passed by the Washington legislature in 2021, aims to reduce health inequities. Differences in neighborhood conditions, often referred to as social determinants of health, can influence who is healthy, who is sick, and who lives longer. Communities of color, low-income communities, and people in areas with limited access to health care are disproportionately impacted by health inequities. However, their voices, experiences, strengths, and cultural knowledge are frequently overlooked during the decision-making process.
DOH helped develop the HEZ Community Advisory Council (CAC), which is a group of tribal, community, and sector leaders from communities across the state. Council members reviewed and scored nominations and met in-person to deliberate for the final selection of the rural and urban zones. The announcement marks more than a year of preparation towards this decision.
“Meeting in person was beneficial for us as the evaluators, and for the nominators as well,” said Alina Swart, CAC member in Asotin County. “We were able to collaborate and discuss the merits of each nomination, which helped us select the health equity zones that would best benefit the people of those communities.” Read More.
The Washington State Department of Health’s Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program works with health care organizations in Washington to prescribe fruits and vegetables to their patients who are food insecure. Participants receive a total of $250 in paper vouchers over six months that are redeemable at Safeway stores for fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables without added salt, sugar, or fat. At this time, participants must be able to access a Safeway store to redeem their vouchers.
We are accepting applications from health care organizations through Friday, September 29, 2023 at 5 p.m. Applications should take your organization less than one hour to complete.
For more information and to fill out an application:
College
Washington offers outstanding public and private college options.
- Every college is different. Keep track of each college's requirements, and make sure you meet deadlines for applications and related materials.
- Start working on application essays early. Senior year is a busy time! Starting essays now is a great way for juniors to prepare for college applications.
- Reach out to your counselor and teachers for help gathering application materials, including forms, test scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation.
- Washington state community and technical colleges (CTCs) offer a wide variety of programs. CTCs are typically open to anyone who has a high school diploma or GED. Students can train to enter into a job directly, complete the first two years of a bachelor's degree and then transfer, or pursue applied bachelor's degrees for specific career fields.
- Most Washington colleges no longer require high school seniors to take standardized tests like the SAT or ACT. Check with each college directly for the latest admissions information.
- Do a virtual campus visit to check out colleges.
Apprenticeship
Looking to step right into a good-paying job? In an apprenticeship, you can earn money while learning a trade.
 As back to school approaches, there might be someone in your life feeling a terrible sinking sensation about the return to the classroom. While this can be an exciting time of year, it can also bring with it depression, anxiety, and body image concerns.
We recently wrote a book (with our friend cartoonist Gemma Correll), called Where to Start: A survival guide to anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges. It tackles the issues you might see during this return to school with a jargon-free approach to understanding mental health.
The book offers clear, honest information about the most common mental illnesses as well as worksheets, a self-assessment test, and tips on talking about mental health.
It is a must-have for any young adult returning to the classroom this fall.
As temperatures soar this week in Washington, industries whose workers do their jobs outdoors must give workers frequent breaks, access to shade, and water cool enough to drink, among other steps. Updated rules from the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) took effect June 27 requiring employers to take both proactive and responsive action to keep their workers safe.
Protections for outdoor workers kick in at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with additional requirements when there is high heat, so forecasted temperatures above 90 and even 100 degrees mean many with outdoor jobs will be working with those requirements in place this week.
As the forecasted temperatures in many places are 10 or more degrees above the average temperatures for the last 5 days, the heat wave requirement to closely observe all workers applies, as all workers are vulnerable to heat-related illness when there is sudden increase in temperature.
At or above 80 degrees for most workers, employers must:
- Encourage and allow workers to take paid preventative cool-down rest periods as needed;
- Provide enough shade or other way of cooling down—like an air-conditioned building or running vehicle—for all employees on a meal or rest break to use;
- Provide enough cool drinking water for each employee to drink a quart per hour; and
Learn more at www.Lni.wa.gov/HeatSmart.
Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division found Ostrom Mushroom Farms failed to pay farmworkers the required wage rate, did not provide cooking facilities or three meals per day, all violations of the H-2A temporary agricultural program. Workers arriving at the place of employment discovered housing listed in the job order was not available and the employer placed the workers in a hotel temporarily. Investigators confirmed that, during their hotel stay, they had no access to cooking facilities and the employer failed to provide meals, so the workers were forced to incur expenses to obtain meals daily.
The division assessed $70,348 in civil money penalties on a per-worker basis due to the violations’ seriousness.
Investigators also determined the employer failed to obtain a pre-occupancy inspection of housing, did not keep accurate records and presented pay stubs without all necessary information, resulting in $1,227 in penalties. They also learned one worker paid a recruiter nearly $10,000 for their visa, resulting in the assessment of $3,067 in civil money penalties for unlawful cost-shifting and for failing to forbid cost-shifting in the labor contract.
Back Wages Recovered: $59,850 in unpaid wages for 62 employees
$74,642 in civil money penalties
Quote: “Employers participating in the H-2A guest worker program must make sure that they provide housing as required, that housing is sanitary, that vehicles used to transport workers are safe and that workers are paid correctly for all hours they work,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Thomas Silva in Seattle. “Our nation depends on agricultural industry workers to feed our families, and we are committed to making certain industry employers fulfill their legal responsibilities.”
Read More.
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced that it plans to release the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) on Sept. 21. The Detailed DHC-A provides population counts and sex-by-age statistics for approximately 1,500 detailed race and ethnic groups and detailed American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) tribes and villages.
The Detailed DHC-A illustrates the Census Bureau’s commitment to maximizing the utility and relevance of the data it produces while meeting its obligation to protect responses. With the Detailed DHC-A, the amount of data available for the detailed race and ethnic groups and AIAN tribes and villages depends on their population size within a specific geography. This approach allows the Census Bureau to produce as much detail as possible while ensuring strong confidentiality protections.
 Now accepting applications for community outreach grants
Through a partnership with Department of Commerce and Department of Revenue, community-based organizations can apply to grants to promote awareness and enrollment for both the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) and the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
Selected community-based organizations will use these funds to conduct outreach and education to eligible communities with the objective of helping individuals apply for the WFTC.
The Department of Revenue recognizes and deeply values the work done by community organizations and is committed to supporting their efforts to make a positive impact in our state.
The deadline for applications is September 11, 2023.
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