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Garifuna Ethnic Group Seeks Voice In New York City

November 15, 2009
by Jesse Hardman

For centuries, home has been a transient notion for the ethnic community known as the Garifuna.

Pushed around the Caribbean region by various colonial powers, many sought safe haven in New York beginning in the 1940s. They've kept coming in small waves, but have maintained a low profile — until now.

On the cusp of the 2010 census, community leaders are asking Garifuna residents to stand up and be counted.

Ruben Gwaite sounds like a typical East Coaster.

"For a living I dispatch limos," he said. "But I'm also a musician. I was born and raised in Boston. I've been in the Bronx 16 or 17 years by now."

You'd never know it from the accent, but English is actually Gwaite's third language. A native of Honduras, he also speaks Spanish, and is currently re-learning a language that shares its name with his ethnic group, Garifuna.

When Gwaite walks down the street in the South Bronx, people probably assume he's black because of his skin color, or Latino, because he can speak Spanish. Officially, he's neither. Like all Garifuna, Gwaite is a descendent of shipwrecked slaves who landed ashore in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the 1600s. They intermarried with Caribbean indigenous groups and spawned an entirely new and distinct ethnic group, with its own language, beliefs and practices. Gwaite's people have been trying to hold onto their unique culture ever since.

Embracing Their Culture

The Saturday morning scene at Casa Yurumein, a converted old convent in the South Bronx, suggests they've done just that. Gwaite, and a dozen other teens and adults, take a weekly Garifuna language class there.

Casa Yurumein is a community haven full of old ancestral photos and cultural artifacts, like wood utensils. Not only does it look and sound like a Garifuna revival, but it smells like one, too. Mirtha Colon cooks up some of the typical dishes from her native Honduran village there.

"We're cooking hoodootoo, one of the main Garifuna dishes," she said. "Mashed plantains and fish soup."

The Garifuna historically were punished for expressing their culture and language back in their countries of origin — a list that includes Belize, Guatemala, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Nicaragua and Honduras.

Bronx resident Maria Elena Baltazar says because of that, not everybody born Garifuna stays in the community.

"We've always lived among other people," Baltazar said. "In Guatemala, in Honduras, we live among the majority, and so you're trying to be like this person, to be in this class of people, so you have to negate what you are, in order to fit in."

Baltazar admits in the past she and her Garifuna friends have tended to assimilate outside the home, passing as black or Latino, and when they get home and close the doors, they are Garifuna again.

But community leader Jose Avila says they should be Garifuna all the time. In the past year, he has organized cultural gatherings, award ceremonies and even Garifuna Month in the Bronx.

Getting Counted

Avila is convinced that more than 100,000 Garifuna live in New York City, and he's trying to use the upcoming 2010 census to prove it.

"It's not just about being counted," Avila said. "It's about resource allocation. It's about housing. It's about transportation, education — which translates into schools."

Avila is busy giving talks and presentations, explaining how easy it is to be counted and why it's important. He says in the last census, hundreds of thousands of Bronx residents marked "other" for their ethnicity. In order for the Garifuna to get an accurate tally, they simply need to write in the name of their group.

Every third Sunday of the month, the Garifuna celebrate their culture with a traditional mass at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Women in colorful blue and pink traditional dresses and head scarves dance down the aisle, accompanied by men with drums and tambourines.

After a recent mass, 47-year-old Raul Melendez leaned against the church, trying to stay warm in a driving rain. Melendez said he loves the U.S., but being Garifuna is more important to him.

"The Garifuna person who doesn't speak Garifuna has no identity," he said. "The person who has no identity, who has no origin, is buried."

Two years from now, when the new census results are released, Melendez will find out for the first time just how many of his fellow Garifuna living in the United States agree with him.

Source: NPR

Magnet States for Hispanics in 2008: Marketing Implications

November 13, 2009
By Dr. Felipe Korzenny

My analysis of the American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau for 2008 reveals that there are key states that experienced net in-migration of Hispanics from other States in the prior year. This is the most up-to-date information of what States Hispanics are moving to, and what States Hispanics are leaving behind. At the top of the gaining list are Texas, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina, Washington State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Virginia, Arizona, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Maine, and Maryland, in that order.

The States with the largest out-migration of Hispanics, in order of loss to other States, were: California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Alaska, Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, Delaware, Nebraska, and New Hampshire.

These trends appear to confirm the continued dispersion of Hispanics throughout the United States to places that were not typically attractive to Hispanics in the recent past. Growth in States like Utah, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana seems to uphold the trend that Hispanics are moving to States that offer job opportunities and a reasonable cost of living, even if these States were not atop of the Hispanic agenda in the past.

Those States losing Hispanics to other States are those who have experienced severe economic difficulties in the recent recession and/or are also expensive to live in, for example: California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, Alaska, Illinois, and Michigan.

This analysis, however, does not include in-migration from other countries. Thus, one can not conclude from these data that there is no actual Hispanic growth in some States that are losing Hispanics to other States. The problem in conducting this type of analysis is that the American Community Survey does measure people coming in from other countries but not people leaving the country. That is because the US Census Bureau only interviews or administers questionnaires to people in the United States.

The list of States with largest in-migration, and that with the highest out-migration, with their respective net gains and losses are found below.

These tables can be reproduced and circulated but the analysis must be credited to this author.

Top Hispanic Gaining States from Other States
 

Top States Losing Hispanics to Other States
 


The implications for marketers are that marketing efforts dedicated to Hispanics will continue to be more at a National level instead of in just a few major markets. While those major markets are still large and worthy of much attention, smaller emerging Hispanic enclaves need to be considered and planned for. Further, as Hispanics continue to disperse in the United States their tastes and preferences will further contribute to the Latinization of the US. At the same time, however, more of these important consumers will be establishing contact with members of non-Hispanic communities and being exposed to touch-points that they did not attend to before.

Also, it should be noticed that States that welcome Hispanics will continue to benefit from their hard labor and work ethic. Those States who have ostracized them under the pretext of undocumented immigration are likely to continue to lose their attractiveness and the benefits that Hispanic presence brings.

While the culture and in many cases the language of Hispanics will continue to be of great importance to connect with these consumers, marketers will also need to understand the dynamics of evolution and change in the Hispanic community.

Source: Marketing Trends in a New Multicultural Society

Lou Dobbs Is Gone from CNN: Now What?

Nov 13, 2009
By Angelo Falcón

The "resignation" of Lou Dobbs from CNN this evening at 7:06 p.m. during his program is an important victory not only for Latinos but for the country as a whole. Hopefully, it represents a movement toward a more responsible journalism and a more constructive political discourse.

As Dobbs struggled to complete his last broadcast on CNN with his trademark smirk gone, his announcement of plans to be an active participant in the leading issues facing this nation clearly indicates that he is not going to disappear. However, the issue was never his ability to speak out on issues but the problem of using a news organization like CNN to spread his bigoted views and propagating out-and-out lies about Latinos, the President Obama and pass them off as news.

Dobbs was increasingly isolated at CNN, and his approach to the news greatly tarnished the integrity of the station's journalistic standards. His departure will hopefully result in CNN restoring its journalistic objectivity at a time when the media in general is losing credibility with the American people.

We wish to thank all of our colleagues who came together with one voice to call for the removal of Dobbs from the CNN roster. Groups like the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Presente.org, Democracia Now, Free Press, Media Matters, National Council of La Raza, and others came forward to take this issue on. We at the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) were glad to have been a small part in this successful movement.

Now the question is: What will CNN be doing with this vacant time spot. They recently aired the series, "Latino in America," to acknowledge our community and attract more Latinos as viewers. They did so because there are those at CNN and their parent company, Time Warner, who recognize that Latinos are a critical part of this country's future and of their market. But what are their plans for addressing their historic neglect of the Latino community?

Will we be seeing more Latino executives, anchors, commentators, contributors, and producers at CNN? Will we be seeing more programming like "Latino in America"? A good starting point would be for the leadership of CNN to meet with Latino leaders to develop a partnership for change.

I know we will be hearing from Lou Dobbs soon again. His sign off tonight was, "We will see you next on the radio." But will we be hearing from Jonathan Klein and the other CNN and Time Warner leadership? Only time will tell.

Source: New America Media

Canadian Beef agency eyes U.S. Hispanic retailers

November 14, 2009
Source: Country Guide

Retailers catering to the Hispanic consumer market in the U.S. are invited guests of Canada's Beef Information Centre at a series of seminars in the next few months.

In a release Friday, the centre outlined its plans to "educate and engage Hispanic retailers about the Canadian Beef Advantage," or CBA, as it relates to specific beef cuts that are overlooked in the Canadian retail sector.

As well, the centre said it plans to provide the technical background that "will strengthen the retailer's position as an outlet for an exceptional quality beef line."

BIC said it recently hosted the first such seminar for an audience of Hispanic retailers in the Chicago area, and focused on "providing technical and other information related to CBA attributes, and the quality and economic advantages that Canadian beef represents for Hispanic consumers in the area."

BIC, in partnership with Hispanic beef distributor Amigo Foods, said it sponsored the Chicago seminar in late October for 22 attendees, primarily Hispanic retailers and multi-unit carniceria operations, plus a Hispanic foodservice company.

Geographically, BIC said, Chicago is a "perfect" destination for Canadian beef products, and Canadian plants are capable of maintaining a steady supply of Canadian beef into Illinois.

Chicago has one of the largest Hispanic demographics in the U.S., BIC chairman John Gillespie said -- and that, along with the short distance between Chicago and Ontario, makes it an "ideal, reachable market for Canadian beef."

Cargill Food Distribution Chicago also attended the seminar to promote its Canadian beef line of products, BIC said.

"Variety meats"

A Cargill newsletter last year noted Hispanics as the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., expected to double to 73 million people between 2000 and 2030 according to U.S. Census Bureau forecasts.

Cargill also cited market research showing the Hispanic population's buying power nearing US$1.1 trillion next year, roughly 11 per cent of the buying power of the U.S. population.

The company last year rolled out its "Rumba" meat brand, which included fresh "variety meats" such as tripe, kidneys, hearts, sweetbreads and cheek meat.

"Hispanic customers in the Chicago market have likely, at some point, used Canadian beef successfully," said Gillespie, an Ontario feedlot operator, in the centre's release. "But they also want to learn about the way Canadian beef would allow them to differentiate their programs beyond a price point."

Canadian beef producers could thus see better returns for "high quality cuts that are greatly appreciated by the Hispanic community," Gillespie said.

"Otherwise, the cuts would traditionally be diverted to ground beef and lose much of (the beef's) potential value in the Canadian market, as Canadian consumption trends do not include thin meats, offal products and some end cuts on a year-round basis."

Future seminars are set for Sacramento in February and Denver in April, BIC said.

Embrace the Hispanic Market

November 12, 2009
By Tamara Monosoff  

When people come up with an idea for a new invention, often the first thing that comes to mind is their patent. And of course, a tremendous amount of effort is expended on the product’s design, features, materials and the product’s name. Often the last thing considered is sales.

But what I have learned during the past six years is that the difference between success and failure with an invention is almost always sales and rarely the patent. And that is even more the case in today’s economy.

The greatest success stories are usually the inventors who get their products placed into major retail chains--with or without a patent. So let's take a look at the process of taking a new product to market successfully.

In my experience, the first thing that comes to mind when we consider how to sell a product is to think of the places we shop. However, given the incredible challenges a new product has of securing retail shelf space as well as the added challenges of the current retail climate, it's necessary to think more broadly. There are actually many markets that could be good opportunities for a new item.

One important factor in identifying these markets is demographics. This can involve race, gender, age, religion, and even geography and economic profile. One market that has been of keen interest to me is the Hispanic market.

If there is any one word that describes the Hispanic market in the U.S. it is "growth."

Of course, the word "Hispanic" does not adequately define the many Spanish-speaking ethnicities in America. A 60-year-old Cuban-American is very different from an 18-year-old Mexican living in the U.S. He, in turn, is very different from second-generation Nicaraguan-American, who is different from a Puerto Rican, and so on. That said, the shared association with Spanish and many aspects of Hispanic culture create enough similarity to enable businesses to serve this market.

Here's why this market presents such incredible opportunity:

According to a special report, "The U.S. Hispanic Economy in Transition" by HispanTelligence, Hispanics are our largest ethnic group, totaling 15.1 percent of the population. There are 45.5 million Hispanics in the United States--many Spanish-speaking countries have fewer people than this. And their growth rate accounts for nearly half our total population growth. Hispanic purchasing power, at approximately $841 billion in 2006, is predicted to reach $1.1 trillion by 2012. The same report estimated that by 2008, there were nearly 3 million Hispanic-owned firms with receipts of $389 billion.

What does this mean in terms of business opportunity for you? Hard to say, but some companies have demonstrated the possibilities successfully.

Take Anna’s Linens, a private, 258-store retail chain headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif. CEO Alan Gladstone, who in 1988 founded and named the company after his mother, has received the Merchant of the Year honor from the home textiles industry. Gladstone asserts that serving the Hispanic market has been key to the success and growth of his business. Carie Doll, senior vice president of marketing and merchandising, explains how that's been accomplished: "First, we offer tremendous value. Second, Hispanic customers are family-oriented, and so are we, and that comes through. Third, we respect them. Our advertising is produced in both English and Spanish, many of our associates are bilingual,and when [Hispanic customers] come to our stores, we want them to feel welcome."

In addition to the growth of the Hispanic market, many Hispanics have money to spend despite the economic downturn. Because many Hispanics immigrated to the U.S. from countries with economic challenges, a large portion of the Hispanic market operates on a cash basis. So when others are squeezed by reductions in credit, interest-rate increases and dropping prices, many Hispanics have cash available.

Numerous consultants and media outlets have the expertise to help you break into this market. Hispanic marketing expert Mayra Donate of Stet In offers these three tips if you are considering this market:

   1. Do some market research to ensure interest before launching to the Hispanic market. Even the name of your product could create a problem. One example is Tropicana's attempt to sell orange juice to Hispanic customers in Miami using the marketing materials and packaging--Jugo de China--it had used in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, "china, " rather than "naranja," is the word for orange. But Miami-based Cubans didn't what to buy what they thought was orange juice from China.
   2. Literal translations of your existing marketing message to Spanish don't necessarily work. So have your marketing and product packaging copy written and the design work specifically oriented to this market.
   3. A little outside advice is essential. Just as there are differences between English speakers from the United States, England and Australia, and even between different geographies within the United States, there are differences in language, culture and traditions among Hispanics from different countries.

It doesn’t take that much extra effort. According to HispanTelligence’s report, "only 24 percent of U.S. Hispanics have little or no command of the English language." And even those who don't often do have family or friends they rely on for translation when necessary. I simply put a single Spanish sentence on my product's packaging and have received positive feedback from our retailers concerning the effect it's had on our sales to Hispanic customers.

So if you are developing your marketing plan for your new idea, are in the process of going to market or looking to expand the distribution of your new product, appealing to the Hispanic market is something to consider.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Latinos hard hit by H1N1

Nov. 13, 2009
By CINDY GEORGE

Hispanics accounted for more than half of the 95 swine flu-related deaths in Texas in the first six months of the H1N1 pandemic, an analysis by the state health department found.

Hispanics predominate in the state's southernmost counties, where 28 percent of the H1N1 deaths happened through Oct. 17.

The area “clearly is the hot spot” for the state's H1N1 deaths, said Dr. Joseph McCormick, regional dean of The University of Texas School of Public Health in Brownsville.

Several physical conditions that are more common among Hispanics have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as risk factors for H1N1 becoming fatal. They include pregnancy, diabetes and possibly obesity, McCormick said.

Residents in Rio Grande Valley counties are more likely to lack medical insurance and have less access to health care than the average Texan.

“Viruses don't care whether you're black or white or whether you're Hispanic or not,” said Lovell A. Jones, a health disparities researcher who directs the Center for Research on Minority Health at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Latinos, who represent 37 percent of the state's population, comprised 52 percent of H1N1 deaths — even with 17 percent of victims having an unknown race or ethnicity — so their actual share may be even higher. Hispanics also accounted for nearly two-thirds of intensive care unit admissions for swine flu.

A Mexican boy became the nation's first H1N1-related death on April 27 when he died at a Houston hospital. The child was initially hospitalized in Brownsville, in the Rio Grande Valley. Then in May, a 33-year-old pregnant Harlingen teacher with underlying health conditions became the first American to die of swine flu. She too was Hispanic.

While 25 percent of Texas' working-age adults are uninsured, the fraction who lack insurance is far larger in the state's border counties.

“We were pretty impressed, not in a happy way, by the striking difference along the border,” said Dr. Susan Penfield, who manages the infectious disease control unit for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

State epidemiology officials are working to identify other swine flu trends based on pregnancy, obesity and other conditions, Penfield said.

The overwhelming majority of swine flu deaths — 89 percent — have been among those with underlying health problems. For Hispanics, it's 92 percent.

Recent school-based immunization efforts near the border pleased McCormick, who said widespread vaccination for the most vulnerable populations is one way to overcome chronic disease, lack of insurance and other obstacles that leave Hispanics bearing the brunt of Texas' swine flu deaths.

Source: The Houston Chronicle

Juan Pablo Montoya fueling Hispanic attraction to NASCAR

November 12, 2009
BY ADAM H. BEASLEY

Get ready, South Florida: Montoya Mania is headed to Homestead.

Noisemakers, Colombian flags and loud, celebratory singing -- all trademarks of a big-time soccer match.

But NASCAR? Never before.

Yet that's what the organizers of next Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway are expecting when Juan Pablo Montoya returns home to close out the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season.

``We expect a whole new atmosphere, which is great,'' said speedway president Curtis Gray. ``We've never seen interest like this in the Hispanic community.''

However, Montoya's impact on the sport stretches far beyond this weekend.

Montoya's three years on the stock car circuit have produced NASCAR's most successful outreach campaign yet to Hispanic sports fans, who have not been traditional racing fans. Interest is up in terms of both attendance and intensity.

But tell that to Montoya, the 34-year-old Bogotá native, and you'll just get a shrug.

``To tell you the truth, I didn't come here for NASCAR,'' Montoya said. ``I don't do it because I'm Colombian or Latin. I'm doing it for myself.

``It's great that people are paying attention, but the only way you succeed at something, you don't do it for someone else. You do it for yourself.''

Hispanics make up the second-largest ethnic class in the United States and are among the most fervent sports fans -- especially in support of some of the most dynamic athletes in American sports. From the days of Roberto Clemente, baseball has long been a home to Latin athletes and their fans, with two-time MVP Albert Pujols and Miami's Alex Rodriguez among today's brightest stars.

For years, boxing had the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has emerged as the Latin face of the National Football League, while Brazilian-born Coral Gables driver Helio Castroneves has made inroads among South Americans with IndyCar.

But NASCAR, long considered a niche sport in the South, has largely been an afterthought for Spanish-speaking sports fans.

Until now.

While he has no shot at the Cup championship -- he trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 236 points heading into this Sunday's race in Phoenix -- Montoya will be one of the Homestead race's marquee attractions, both for his proficiency on the track and his connection to the region's diverse Hispanic community.

Race organizers expect a strong turnout of Montoya-supporting Latinos. As of early last week, hundreds of tickets had already been sold through his charity, Formula Smiles, and many more through deals with Spanish-language media.

The local reaction is just the latest indication that NASCAR's Hispanic appeal is up. The sport has gone mainstream, ranking second behind the NFL in terms of overall television ratings. Upwards of 200,000 people fill Daytona International Speedway, and every year the crowd looks more and more like a cross-section of America.

MONTOYA'S IMPACT

Among Hispanics, interest has grown every year Montoya has been on the circuit, according to TNS Sport, a research outfit that monitors demographic shifts. Among Latino sports fans, 9.9 percent consider themselves avid NASCAR fans, up from 7.9 percent in 2007, Montoya's first season on the Sprint Cup Series.

This increase runs counter to NASCAR's broader trend lines. It's the only mainstream sport whose total number of fans has declined in recent years, said Robert Fox, vice president of TNS Sport.

``We can't specifically prove causation, but there's a strong enough relationship to say that there's a connection,'' Fox said. ``As Montoya has gained in popularity, it's interesting to note that interest, particularly avid interest, has increased among Hispanics, while -- in general -- interest in NASCAR has decreased.''

Among those fervent, core Hispanic fans, Montoya is one of their favorite drivers. He ranked as the most popular driver among Latinos in 2008, TNS Sport found, and trails only Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. this year.

With another strong season by Montoya, both numbers will surely rise, said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications.

``He is definitely a home run for the sport,'' Hunter said. ``As long as I've been around, 40-plus years in the sport, I've never seen anybody come into the sport like him.

``There are a heck of a lot more Latins attending the events and waving 42 (Montoya's car) flags than I've even seen before, and that's all because of Juan.''

Still, NASCAR has a lot of work to do. Just 11 percent of Latino sports fans have attended a NASCAR race in the last year, compared with 34 percent who had taken in a Major League Baseball game, while one in four bought a ticket to a college football contest.

Montoya can only help. He races for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, which is sponsored by Target and owned by in part by Felix Sabates, a Cuban-born entrepreneur whose family fled Castro's rule in the late 1950s.

``We've got the guy; he's the only Hispanic in the highest-level series,'' said Steve Lauletta, president of Chip Ganassi's NASCAR operations. ``Now that he's in the Chase [for the Sprint Cup championship], there's a tremendous amount of people taking notice, and I only see it taking flight from here.''

Montoya's profile has increased among Spanish speakers not just in this country, but also around the world.

Diego Mejia covers racing for Speed Channel Latin America and has known Montoya since the two raced go-karts as boys in Colombia. Mejia has probably seen more Montoya races -- in Formula One, CART and now NASCAR -- than any other journalist.

And he never experienced anything like the attention Montoya received at the Fontana, Calif., race in October.

``There were probably like 15 Spanish-language reporters,'' Mejia said. ``I had never seen that happen. Photographers following him everywhere he went. He was a big deal.''

That scene will surely be repeated next weekend in South Florida, the Spanish-language news center of the United States.

In fact, Montoya is big enough to draw inadvertent insults outside of the sport.

In late October, Bob Griese, the quarterback of the Dolphins' perfect 1972 season, publicly slurred Montoya -- a Miami resident, former Indy 500 champion and NASCAR's one-man outreach campaign to the American Hispanic community.

Griese had joked during a nationally televised football game that Montoya had fallen in the standings of the Chase for the Cup -- NASCAR's playoff system -- because he was ``out having a taco.''

Not surprisingly, a backlash ensued. The remark was as culturally insensitive as it was inaccurate. Montoya is Colombian; tacos are a Mexican dish.

ESPN suspended Griese, a college football analyst, for a week.

But Montoya, who is known as much for his prickly disposition as his aggressive driving, was uncharacteristically nonplussed.

``To tell you the truth, I didn't even know he's a Miami guy,'' Montoya said last Saturday, long after the dust had subsided. ``But does it matter? I don't know who the guy is and I don't care.

``People think being Latin means Mexican. If you want to make a big deal out of it, make a big deal of it. A guy probably tried to make a joke, and it backfired on him.''

THE BIG STAGE

As for this Sunday's race, points leader Jimmie Johnson is on the verge of wrapping up his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship, which could make the season-ending race at Homestead all but irrelevant.

But to the thousands of flag-waving, screaming Montoya fans, it might as well be the Daytona 500.

``If I can help the sport to become a better sport, I will do it, but I'm not doing it for that,'' Montoya said back in Texas. ``If they come here and ask if I can help, of course I will. If the sport is better, I'm going to be happier because this is what I'm doing.

``But it's two different jobs. I'm hired by Chip Ganassi and Target to drive a race car. I'm not hired by NASCAR to make the sport more appealing to the Latin community.''

Source: The Miami Herald

Hispanics Hold Few Leadership Positions at Calif. Nonprofit Groups

November 12, 2009
By Ian Wilhelm

While Hispanics are a significant portion of California’s population, they fill only a small percentage of the leadership positions at nonprofit groups in the state, says a new report.

Hispanics make up 36 percent of California’s 36.7 million people, but hold 6 percent of the foundation and charity executive director positions, says the study. In addition, they fill 9 percent of the board seats at California charitable groups.

For other nonprofit staff positions, they are better represented, but still fall short. Twenty-eight percent of such jobs are held by Hispanics.

The report, by the Urban Institute, a think tank in Washington, says that the study shows that leadership posts are dominated by whites within California’s 34,250 or so nonprofit organizations. Racial and ethnic minorities hold 25 percent of such positions, but represent 57 percent of the population.

“Like the findings of other diversity reports, this study finds that the leadership of California’s nonprofit sector is not as diverse as its population,” it says.

Foundation Support

The report, Measuring Racial-Ethnic Diversity in California’s Nonprofit Sector, surveyed 1,736 groups, and was commissioned the California Endowment, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

These grant makers and others came under fire in recent years for not doing enough to support minority-led charities. After the public criticism, nine foundations, including the ones involved with the Urban Institute study, pledged $30-million to support minority groups.

The report also looked at the financial health of California charities, indicating that many are struggling. Sixty-five percent said they’ve experience a drop in revenue this year, with 62 percent saying they expected further declines in the near future.

Source: The Chronicle of Philantropy