Public transit agencies and Latinos In Transit celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month..png)
By Stephanie Jordan
Managing Editor
Transit California
Each year, since 1988, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Why the middle of the month? The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico celebrates their independence on September 16 and Chile celebrates on September 18.
According to the Pew Research Center report Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanics have become the largest racial or ethnic group in California accounting for 39 percent of California’s population in 2020, among the highest shares in the country. In 2020, there were about 15.6 million Hispanics in California, up from 14.0 million in 2010. For comparison, the next two largest Latino states by population, Texas (11.4 million) and Florida (5.7 million), Latinos made up 39 percent and 26 percent of residents, respectively.
SamTrans
The SamTrans Board of Directors passed a resolution honoring Hispanic Heritage Month at its October meeting.
“The Hispanic/Latinx community has long been an integral part of American life and that’s even more true here in San Mateo County,” said SamTrans Board Chair Charles Stone. “SamTrans is proud to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month in honor of this community’s many contributions to our culture, our history, and our shared future.”
Hispanic Americans are well represented among SamTrans riders, with a survey from 2018 showing 32 percent of SamTrans riders are of Hispanic origin and 26 percent of SamTrans riders speak Spanish in the home.
“As the first Hispanic to sit on this Board of Directors, it’s my pleasure to support this resolution which honors and recognizes the contributions of the Latino community,” said SamTrans Board Member Rose Guilbault during the meeting. “It’s no small thing that 32 percent of our riders are of Latino descent, so many of them support us, and during the pandemic so many of those riders continued riding and kept this agency running through that time.”
LA Metro
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, LA Metro offered a unique way to celebrate by learning about Chicano/a/x history and communities through public art with Metro’s Bike Share’s Chicanx Art Tour of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA). The ride guide offered the opportunity to explore DTLA and participate firsthand in the art tradition of the Chicanx community.
Landmarks along the ride included Transportapueblos: Los Resilientes (2020) by Alfredo "LIBRE" Gutierrez, a public art sculpture that recognizes the difficulties of many who journey from their homes in search of a better life in the United States and Anthony Quinn or The Pope of Broadway (1984) by Eloy Torrez, which is a large mural of Southern California actor, painter and writer Anthony Quinn in his "Zorba the Greek" dancing stance, plus many more stops of interest.
“While the tour does not tell the complete story of all Chicano/a/x or Latino/a/x people – we hope this guide reflects and recognizes the vastness and complexities of diasporas within these communities in Los Angeles County and beyond,” notes the guide about the routes firsthand storytelling through art. The Metro Bike Share Ride Guide was created in collaboration with Metro Art.
AC Transit
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) has a history of celebrating cultural events. For a firsthand account of this year’s celebration read “Celebrando Nuestras Culturas”: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at AC Transit written by Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer, and Robert Lyles, Media Affairs Manager, in this edition of Transit California.
The agency’s Hispanic Heritage celebration event had a full program and included the AC Transit’s General Office Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar. Building altars (ofrendas) in honor of the departed is a rich tradition celebrated throughout Mexico and Latin America. AC Transit’s event planners ofrendas included flowers, photos, and memorabilia of recently departed AC Transit employees.
“AC Transit has been celebrating cultural events as far back as I can remember, I have been an employee for almost 9-years” explains Llamas, who was born in Mexico and immigrated with his family to California when he was 3-years old. “Prior to 2016, events were mostly held locally at the Divisions (and other work locations across the District). They were organized by employees as a potluck, supported with an event banner provide by the District. After 2016, we decided to make more of an intentional and focused investment in the diversity and inclusion of our employees. We formed a diversity council that selects various events representing our workforce to celebrate throughout the year, one each month. Hispanic Heritage Month is one of many opportunities to celebrate our amazing employees and the diversity they bring to the District.”.png)
Llamas explains that the cultural events are open to all employees, regardless of their heritage. This year the National Hispanic Heritage celebration was virtual and made available not only to individual employees, but also live streamed on large monitors located in each Division’s main gathering areas (often referred to as ‘Gillie Rooms’).
The AC Transit cultural events are planned for employees, by employees. Asked if they are worth the time and expense, Llamas replies, “Every minute of time and every dollar spent on planning and celebrating these events are priceless. We simply cannot put a cost on how important it is to help make employees feel valued, included, and appreciated. Employees plan and celebrate these events during regular work hours. Sometimes, employees on the planning committee are happy to volunteer doing support activities on their own time. For example, I was happy to purchase the piñatas and papel picado (on display at each facility) over the weekend from our local party supply store. It was just more convenient that way and we are supporting the local economy.”
Llamas, who has more than 28 years of progressive experience in transit operations started his career as a floor mechanic rising through the ranks to Chief Operating Officer for the AC Transit has a passion for inspiring future leaders. He is active in the American Public Transportation Association, the California Transit Association, and is the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Latinos In Transit.
Latinos In Transit
Founded in 2016, Latinos In Transit (LIT) was created to promote the advancement and development of Latinos and other minorities in transportation. Membership is made of public and private transportation professionals from across the nation who meet regularly to network, share information, and celebrate the professional development of all members.
California Transit Association member Alva Carrasco is President of the Board for LIT. Born and raised in Los Angeles by immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico, she is a Vice President – Transit and Rail West Region Market Lead for at WSP USA, responsible for business development and project support. She has more than 28 years of experience working in the public transit sector. Carrasco started her career in transit as a customer service representative providing bus trip planning information and since then has dedicated her time in public transit to providing communities clean alternative modes of transportation, reducing congestion, improving operational efficiencies, client relations, and promoting workforce development in what she considers a “green collar” industry.
“Latinos face transportation inequities. Structural racism, lack of decision maker diversity, and public agency silos has taken a toll, resulting in transit service funding prioritizing peak transit services designed for white collar workers.”
“We are in a position to make a difference,” says Carrasco of the efforts of LIT. “We have a lens where we see inequities, so we want more Latinos to step into higher positions within the transit industry – this is not about climbing the ladder, but giving back to the community. If you have a seat at the table as a decision maker, you can better look out for our disadvantaged communities.”
In March the Conference of Minority Transportation Of
ficials (COMTO), a nonprofit organization founded in 1971 dedicated to advancing minorities in the transportation industry with 34 chapters in the U.S. and Canada, and LIT announced a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) forming an alliance to advance diversity and equity in the transportation industry.
With a growing interest in bringing diversity, inclusion and equity to all sectors of society, there is an opportunity for the two organizations to work more closely together and develop meaningful synergies. Both COMTO and LIT strive to maximize the quality and value of their member services, in a variety of forms, including professional development, advocacy and networking; all consistent with their organizations’ missions. The MOU will allow the two organizations to share information and resources and partner on future programs and initiatives.
“Now more than ever the partnership with COMTO is important as we address advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the transportation industry. If we learned one thing last year, it’s that our voices are stronger together,” says Carrasco. “I’m really excited about our collaboration with COMTO and for the future of both organizations and its members.”
LIT strives to raise awareness for more diverse hiring practices, regular staff training on equity, implicit bias, and cultural sensitivity, past and present discriminatory planning practices and the impacts of an auto-centric status quo.
“We advocate for the investment in Latino employees to attain leadership positions – through things like succession planning, mentorships, tuition reimbursement – and for agencies to build a network of Latino community advocates,” states Carrasco.
Carrasco goes on to share community outreach and engagement best practices specific to Latino populations and communities:
When planning meetings, consider the following:
- Language
- Time of day
- Childcare (family-friendly meetings)
- Food/refreshments
- Reimbursements/stipends
- Location
- Spanish outreach and engagement tools such as surveys, fliers, apps, and wayfinding, and Spanish-language radio stations
- Partner with community organizations, leaders and activists
“Traditional engagement processes limit Latino engagement and are disproportionately focused on the need of non-Latinos, typically white populations,” observes Carrasco. “WhatsApp is more popular among U.S. Hispanics than Instagram or Twitter, with those platforms seeing 34.3 percent and 21 percent user penetration, respectively. For greater context, that means there are 10 million more U.S. Hispanics on WhatsApp than Instagram, and almost triple more than Twitter.”
In its LIT Leadership Academy, there are four virtual training and development program areas, including a Transit Board Leadership module intended for transit board members new to the transit industry. It provides a background in the transit industry and issues that are critical in policy decisions. Billed as a Transit 101 – this module provides an overview of the transit industry, the role it plays in communities, and how the board member’s role plays in policy decisions intended to achieve a transit agency’s goals. The other three LIT Leadership Academy courses are the Making of an Executive, Leading in Middle Management, and New Careers in Transit. LIT is accepting applications for the Leadership Academy through November 15, 2021. For information on how to apply for the Leadership Academy, click here.
“It is vital that the transit industry be diverse across the board to mirror the communities and the people in which we serve,” believes Carrasco. “And it is important that young Latinx professionals see leaders that look like themselves, so they can create a pipeline of Latinos to come into the industry.”
Although National Hispanic Heritage month has concluded for 2021, Latinos In Transit continues the celebration everyday. When asked if he would encourage other transit agencies to consider holding similar heritage cultural events onsite, Llamas responds, “Absolutely and without a question, every transit operator should hold events that reflect and celebrate the diversity of their employees. Our employees embody who we are as an agency, when we celebrate the diversity of our employees, we celebrate the soul of our agency. I guess the questions is: Why wouldn’t we hold these events?”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
For more on Latinos In Transit, read On Board With… Latinos In Transit in the September 2020 edition of Transit California.