Latino Providers Speak Out on Education, Healthcare and Immigration Reform
Elianne Ramos, Baltimore Hispanic Business Examiner
With President Obama lobbying for health care and education reform, and most of America split over the pros and cons of immigration, a movement of altruistic Latino businessmen and women in the city of Baltimore shines a light of hope on these critical Latino issues. The Latino Providers Network, the only organization of its kind in the area, has been working for the rights of the community through networking, advocacy and the sharing of resources and information since 1995. “We all know the Latino community is growing exponentially and becoming an economic powerhouse in Maryland. But there are gaps in the services they have access to, and although we don’t provide direct services or seek to duplicate any of the existing services out there, the idea behind our organization is to be the bridge between the organizations who provide support to this underserved community,” says Jesús Rivera, Executive Director of LPN.
Staying true to their core mission, the organization has worked to accurately represent the Latino population in pertinent policy and system reform issues since they first started. One notable example, cited by Michael Lynch, Vicepresident of LPN’s Board of Directors, was a situation that was developing in the public school system about five years ago. “We had received complaints from families of limited English proficiency, who claimed they didn’t get adequate services when trying to enroll their children at certain public schools. So we filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights.” The complaint, which has since been dismissed, brought the issue to the attention the Baltimore City Public School system. According to Mr. Lynch, since then the school system has taken ownership of the process and are doing are doing everything that they can to better the situation. "We continue to meet with them on a monthly basis and they visit the schools to see how they are responding. They have a checklist they go through. It’s a collaboration."
In their opinion, part of their success in bringing about change has to do with fostering a spirit of collaboration among their members, and finding the right partners in terms of non-profits, community leaders and corporations. The network’s over 200 member organizations, which deal with issues such as immigration, education, housing, unemployment and health, have been involved directy with the community for many years. In recent years, they have seen a dramatic increase in membership and corporate interest in the organization, which they view as a step in the right direction. Yet, they insist, they don’t want to be seen as a commercial entity. “At the moment," says Mr. Rivera, "we’re working on an annual giving campaign for members and on getting a larger support from the business community. But we want this to be a forum for organizations that really want to take an active role in our organization, in helping the community and the City of Baltimore.”
In LPN’s view, the way to empower the Latino segment of the population is to offer them access to healthcare, education and to help them solve their immigration issues. “One thing we have noticed is the backlash that happens everytime a particular ethnic group becomes a large enclave. And the most recent assembly is Latinos,” says Mr. Lynch. “To us, that is regressive change. That is not going to keep America safe. In fact, it may bring more problems and complications, like crime.”
Though they’ll continue their labor of love through the Latino Providers Network, their hope is that the Obama administration looks at the bigger picture when it comes to new legislation and how it may affect the larger community. “Our concern is that some legislation may force part of the Latino community into the shadows. Some of these legislations make sense legally, but what will the outcome be in five years? It may mean a whole segment of the population that has no trust in the police, no trust in the social agencies,” says Mr. Rivera, adding, “Our providers have to deal with that everyday. We think that if you are able to build confianza, trust with the Latino community, then you’re able to accomplish many positive things. How do we know? We’ve been here for 17 years. Outreach is what we do for a living.”
For more info, to donate or to join the Latino Providers Network, visit LPN's website or call (410) 732-0242.
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