America benefits from immigrants' energy
JOSE ANTONIO TIJERINO
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Feb 22, 2007
During my naturalization ceremony in 1990, I was met with throngs of diverse cultures brought together for a single celebration -- America. Having lived in the United States since I emigrated with my parents from Nicaragua at age 6, I had more than 20 years under my belt of living the American Dream. I attended the ceremony with my late mother, who had a very different perspective having lived most of her life in poverty in her native Paraguay.
As many of the newly christened Americans cried, embraced and even kissed the shiny linoleum floor of the courthouse, my mother explained: ``Hijito, there is no patriot like an immigrant. Even though you grew up in America, you are, and always will be, an immigrant. So be proud of that fact and take advantage of every opportunity.''
I took my mother's words to heart. I worked hard in school and later joined the corporate world, trying to prove myself again and again to gain the respect of employers.
As I climbed the ranks, I began to notice that although I had been offered a lot of opportunities, many of my fellow Hispanics had not fared as well. With some exceptions, the majority of Hispanics remained at or below the poverty level -- and few held management positions at major companies.
Today, we are the second-largest majority in America -- more than 40 million strong. In the workforce, the growth is just as dramatic. Although two-thirds of the overall workforce growth over the next 15 years is projected to be Hispanic, less than 1 percent of that growth will be in management.
The lack of Hispanics in management positions is especially troubling given the fact that there is so much Hispanic talent. Through our programs I have met thousands of talented students -- young role models and leaders -- who excel inside and outside of the classroom. These students have overcome language barriers, often poverty, lack of guidance and racism to break free of vicious generational circles to achieve perfect GPAs and attend top universities. I hope they will be a part of a more diverse workforce, and not just in the lower-level jobs.
LOFT (Latinos on Fast Track) was developed four years ago to produce and sustain relationships between top Hispanic young professionals and America's workforce. The focus is preparation, relationship building, mentoring and sustainability tailored for a particular company or industry. Already, programs have been developed to support Fannie Mae's efforts to diversify the mortgage-lending industry; Abercrombie and Fitch in retail; Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase in finance; Allianz Life in insurance; Pulte Homes and Beazer Homes for management positions in residential construction; and even MTV in entertainment.
The key to diversity is investment. Pro-immigration advocates point out how the economy will suffer if we lose restaurant workers, laborers and construction crews. In fact, the biggest loss to our country's economic well-being will be the auspicious contributions of the lower-wage earners' children, many of whom are first in their family to attend college.
