We are as proud as the little gentlemen above of the vaccines we were able to deliver on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in partnership with the City of Seattle and the Othello Station Pharmacy!
In total, 110 vaccines were administered to families, including 17 pediatric Pfizer vaccines.
Thank you to our partners, our community, and our donors for helping make our communities safer!
On La Hora del Centro de La Raza‘s radio hour, Ana Covarrubias shared how she and her husband, José Pablo, moved from living with relatives as newly arrived immigrants from Oaxaca, to eventually buying a three-bedroom home in Tacoma after participating in El Centro de La Raza’s Certified First Home Buyer Program.
Once they arrived to Seattle, she and José Pablo faced what she described as typical challenges encountered by immigrants; navigating a new language, culture, and credit system, while working to secure their livelihood and find employment. Throughout these challenges, their primary dream in this country, to own a home, stayed at the forefront of their minds.
Since arriving, they lived with relatives and eventually rented for five years. Ana felt rent was eating a large part of their income. According to research, one in four Latinos spend more than half of their income on rent and, indeed, this poses a major challenge for wealth building for the community. In mid-2020, she reached out to El Centro de La Raza.
She signed up for a webinar for first-time homebuyers, where she learned strategies to budget and improve their credit. At the same time, she signed up for the Unidos at Work classes to improve her technology skills and enrolled in entrepreneurship courses also offered by the Business Opportunity Center. This holistic approach led to improved savings and income generation for their household.
Upon completion of the home buying program, participants earn a certification recognized by the Washington Housing Commission, which is valid for two years and qualifies participants for down payment assistance.
Ana said the program was very comprehensive and made her feel confident navigating the home buying process at every step. When Oliver Contreras asked how she felt as a homeowner, she said, “Indescribable. It has changed our life, definitively.” Others always ask her how much it cost her to enroll in the program and she tells them it was at no cost to participants, and she hopes others will take the leap and start their homeownership journey.
Want to learn more about what is going on in the community? Tune in to La Hora del Centro de La Raza on Seattle’s 1360 El Rey on Tuesdays from 3:00-4:00 PM EST.
The health and success of El Centro de la Raza begins with you. Support from a broad base of community members including foundations, individuals, and corporations is critical to our success and we ask that you carefully consider making a personally meaningful gift – it may be the largest gift you have ever made.
Just three years ago, Dallanary Santos and her family moved from Honduras to the United States. It was a decision her mom Dania Romero had sometimes second-guessed because of the difficulties they have faced but seeing the opportunities her children have here and the support her two daughters have found support at El Centro de La Raza to discover and pursue their dreams has really made her confident it was the right move.
To adjust to the new culture, Dallanary enrolled in the Youth Job Readiness Training (YJRT) Program at El Centro de la Raza, where the program equips students with job readiness, career development, post-secondary options, while building self-sufficiency skills at school and at work.
Through the YJRT program, Dallanary landed an internship at the Center for Wooden Boats and the Business Opportunity Center with El Centro de la Raza. Through these experiences and one-on-one career orientation, Dallanary has chosen to pursue a major in Education at Seattle Center College, where she has been accepted. She is excited to graduate in June 2022!
Dallanary attributes her success in school and in life to her mother, Dania Romero. Dania has four children and has signed up her two oldest daughters to the YJRT program. She has seen her daughters find confidence within themselves and flourish and said she admires the dedication and work ethic the staff at El Centro de la Raza bring. Dania is proud of her daughter Dallanary for her accomplishments and is looking forward to seeing her graduate in June.
The health and success of El Centro de la Raza begins with you. Support from a broad base of community members including foundations, individuals, and corporations is critical to our success and we ask that you carefully consider making a personally meaningful gift – it may be the largest gift you have ever made.
El Centro de la Raza’s Business Opportunity Center (BOC) would like to thank everyone that joined us for the Posada Night Market on December 17, 2021!
In the spirit of the holidays, and as an effort to help promote local small businesses, BOC planned and promoted a holiday outdoor night market, which was held at Plaza Roberto Maestas on Friday December 17, 2021. The event was Ugly Sweater themed, where individuals were able to buy arts & crafts from small businesses owned by some of our Small Business Development Program’s participants, listen to music produced by DJ Sabrocito, and take pictures at a Christmas-themed stage provided by Luis Enrique and Piscis Photo & Video Studios. Attendees also enjoyed delicious food from participants of the food incubator program including Antojitos Lita Rosita, Shark Bite Ceviches, Outsider Pizza and Recetas de Abuelita!
The event helped promote 17 vendors showcase their food, craftsmanship. Many of the featured vendors have just started their businesses and this was their debut into the community. As a result, vendors received revenue that day that will allow them to keep investing in their businesses!
Thank you all for your support! Happy New Year!!!
The health and success of El Centro de la Raza begins with you. Support from a broad base of community members including foundations, individuals, and corporations is critical to our success and we ask that you carefully consider making a personally meaningful gift – it may be the largest gift you have ever made.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a new policy to guide immigration enforcement actions in or near protected areas. The guideline, which is effective immediately, supersedes and rescinds all previous sensitive locations guidance, providing a more comprehensive and clear protection to immigrants against enforcement actions in places they regularly go to access health care services, education, exercise their freedom to worship or publicly convene and at the end, accessing essential services.
In recent years, El Centro de la Raza has devoted its efforts to promote and disseminate the sensitive locations policy issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2011 and that restricted immigration enforcement actions in public places that were defined as sensitive locations. These included educational institutions, health care centers, places of worship, religious or civil ceremonies, and public demonstrations such as marches or rallies. For El Centro, the recognition of sensitive locations was one of the most powerful tools available to support and protect undocumented immigrants from the disproportionate and arbitrary prosecution of immigration agents. This is it, especially during the former federal administration, where ongoing threats of deportation made immigrants live in fear and anxiety, thinking they could be arrested at any time, anywhere they go, even in places where they were looking to satisfy their more urgent needs or exercise their human rights, those that are intrinsic to everyone, regardless of their immigration status.
To promote the sensitive locations policy, El Centro de la Raza undertook an aggressive strategy that included several activities. We prepared a toolkit for potential sensitive locations (that you can access here); created a universal symbol to identify sensitive locations and prepared and provided banners to any sensitive location interested in being identified as such. We also hosted informative sessions to potential sensitive locations interested in learning about the policy; and informed immigrants about sensitive locations so they could keep attending the places where they access essential services fearlessly. We believed and still do, that disseminating the policy will prevent immigrants to restrain from attending the places that provide them with the basic needs and services anyone needs to live a dignified life.
Despite our efforts, and the potential sensitive locations had to protect immigrants from enforcement actions, we were aware the policy fell short in ensuring immigrants’ safe access to some essential services. The policy identified just a few places as sensitive locations adding immigration officers should exercise special care when carrying out enforcement operations in places assisting children, pregnant women, victims of crime or abuse, or individuals with significant mental or physical disabilities. Even though the list was not restricted, leaving to the discretion of immigration officers, whether or not to undertake enforcement operations did not provide certainty to immigrants on which services or institutions they can safely attend without the risk of being approached by immigration authorities. This uncertainty restrained them from access to some crucial services. On the other hand, the policy was not clear about immigration enforcement actions near sensitive locations. The lack of clarity led to considerable confusion about how close immigration agents can be to a sensitive location. Several cases of questionable arrests took place near, but not at sensitive locations, implying that immigration officers, rather than immigrants were taking advantage of the sensitive locations policy. These circumstances clearly showed the policy should be modified and improved despite being helpful at a time where anywhere was a safe and welcoming space for immigrants.
Fortunately, for the benefit and wellbeing of immigrant communities, the policy has changed. On October 27th the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas announced a new policy to guide immigration enforcement actions in or near sensitive locations, now called protected areas. According to DHS, the change in name, from “sensitive locations” to “protected areas” aims to provide a more precise/ accurate understanding that certain areas are in need of special consideration. Rather than only being, “sensitive” they rise to a level of being protected because of the functions performed in those places.
The new guideline provides greater clarity on what types of locations are protected areas by providing an expanded non-exhaustive list of protected areas, including new designations such as vaccination or testing sites, places of religious study, places where children gather (such as playgrounds, recreation centers, or school bus stops) disaster or emergency relief sites, and social service establishments.
Moreover, the guideline recognizes that “an enforcement action taken near-and not necessarily in- the protected area can have the same restraining impact on an individual’s access to the protected area itself”. Therefore, it calls for immigration authorities to not take enforcement action near the protected area, to the fullest extent possible. As there is no bright-line definition of what constitutes “near” the guideline calls immigration authorities to exercise judgment by asking themselves whether an enforcement action would restrain people from accessing the protected area to receive essential services or engage in essential activities.
The new policy provides a broader, more sensible protection for undocumented immigrants, ensuring they can access essential services and activities without fear, and it backs up the idea that people, regardless of their immigration status should be able to access essential services without threats. However, it is essential to train and educate immigration officers on its implementation, ensuring they apply a reasonable and human judgment to their actions. In turn, El Centro de la Raza will promote the new guideline and inform potential protected areas and the community on its scope and limits making sure immigrants always feel safe, welcome, and respected.
For accessing the Guidelines for Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas click here.
If you have any questions regarding protected areas, please contact Adriana Ortiz-Serrano at aortiz@elcentrodelaraza.org
The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is a program that has been temporarily launched to help households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. EBB provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households.
The program will end when the EBB fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency, whichever is sooner. Households are eligible if they receive Medicaid, SNAP, or other public benefits, are school lunch eligible, are already in the Lifeline program, receive Pell education grants, or have lost jobs and income during the pandemic. More eligibility information: getemergencybroadband.org/do-i-qualify.
Consider Writing a Letter to Your Local Newspaper [and Some Instructions on How]
‘Facebook has a Blind Spot’: Why Spanish-Language Misinformation is Flourishing
Seattle Public Schools: Covid Vaccine Clinics for Students 5 — 11
UNIDOS 2021 Fall Affiliate Convenings: Evolving for Impact Registration Open
The Workforce Development Program at El Centro de la Raza provides extensive outreach, education referrals, and registration assistance for relevant pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs to participants to obtain permanent employment in maritime, construction trades, and/or green career industries. This project focuses on Latinos, immigrants, and limited English proficient speakers with low incomes. To date this year, ECDLR has helped over 40 individuals looking for a path to success through numerous programs such as Youth Maritime Accelerator Program: a collaboration with the Port of Seattle, Goodwill, Seattle Public Schools, and others; ANEW; and numerous other programs whose aim is to help participants locate and obtain permanent employment in maritime, construction trades, or green career industries
One such program as the Pre-Apprenticeship Training program (PACT), at Seattle Colleges at the Wood Technology Center, where Jose Berceno, a young Latino looking to improve and find a stable career, had a desire to learn and participate in the construction industry. While looking for opportunities to gain work experience and develop new skills, Jose was connected to PACT. After attending their information session on how to apply, Jose was accepted into the pre-apprenticeship program and is currently attending classes. The Outreach, Placement & Retention Coordinator who works closely with the students mentioned in a follow-up that Jose is doing well and thriving in the program. Jose will be graduating in December and will be applying to various companies in their job fair that they offer to all graduates.
The health and success of El Centro de la Raza begins with you. Support from a broad base of community members including foundations, individuals, and corporations is critical to our success and we ask that you carefully consider making a personally meaningful gift – it may be the largest gift you have ever made.
“Rosa Juarez always had the dream of opening Antojitos Lita Rosita but was never quite sure how to start it. She learned about the Food Incubator Program run by El Centro de la Raza and knew it was the perfect opportunity for her. She has been serving food from Plaza Roberto Maestas since April 2019 and living her dream. ” by Jax Kiel at the South Seattle Emerald.
El Centro de la Raza’s Small Business Development Program provides small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with workshops, business development advice, credit counseling, and access to a variety of resources all aiming to foster long-term financial stability and independence. Your donations ensure that we can continue to provide such valuable services.
The health and success of El Centro de la Raza begins with you. Support from a broad base of community members including foundations, individuals, and corporations is critical to our success and we ask that you carefully consider making a personally meaningful gift – it may be the largest gift you have ever made.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is a program that has been temporarily launched to help households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. EBB provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households.
The program will end when the EBB fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency, whichever is sooner. Households are eligible if they receive Medicaid, SNAP, or other public benefits, are school lunch eligible, are already in the Lifeline program, receive Pell education grants, or have lost jobs and income during the pandemic. More eligibility information: getemergencybroadband.org/do-i-qualify.
Consider Writing a Letter to Your Local Newspaper [and Some Instructions on How]
Democrats Look for Plan B After Blow on Immigration
‘Facebook has a Blind Spot’: Why Spanish-Language Misinformation is Flourishing
Senator Murray Hails Senate Confirmation of David Estudillo as U.S. District Court Judge
Your Guide to Hispanic Heritage Month in Seattle
Interested in finding out how you can help to get out the vote? Reach out to our amazing Volunteer coordinator Mandela Gardner for more information: volunteer@elcentrodelaraza.org
A virtual, community meeting will be held this Thursday, September 23 at 7:00. Please email us at ECCCinfo@elcentrodelaraza.org to receive a Zoom link, or visit our project website for more information at https://elcentrodelaraza.org/get-help/housing-economic-development/columbia-city/
Viviendas económicas propuesto para el vecindario de Columbia City. Visite nuestro sitio web https://elcentrodelaraza.org/get-help/housing-economic-development/columbia-city/ para más información.
በኮሎምቢያ ሲቲ በዝቅተኛ ዋጋ ሊሰሩ የታሰቡ/ይታቀዱ ቤቶች:: ለተጨማረ መረጃ በድህረ ገፃችን https://elcentrodelaraza.org/get-help/housing-economic-development/columbia-city/ ይመልከቱ::
Guriyeen la awoodi karo ayaa loo soo jeediyay Magaalada Columbia. Kaga bogo boggayaga https://elcentrodelaraza.org/get-help/housing-economic-development/columbia-city/ wixii macluumaad dheeraad ah.
Chương trình nhà ở giá rẻ được đề xuất cho thành phố Columbia. Xin vào Trang Web của chúng tôi tại https://elcentrodelaraza.org/get-help/housing-economic-development/columbia-city/ để biết thêm thông tin
Articles of Interest
Consider Writing a Letter to Your Local Newspaper [and Some Instructions on How]
Democrats Look for Plan B After Blow on Immigration
Senator Murray Hails Senate Confirmation of David Estudillo as U.S. District Court Judge
Your Guide to Hispanic Heritage Month in Seattle
Parque Memorial Santos Rodriguez
Este parque está nombrado en honor de Santos Rodriguez, un niño chicano de 12 años quien vivía en Dallas, Tejas. Durante la mañana del 24 de Julio de 1973, dos policías arrestaron a Santos y a su hermano David de 13 años, y los tomaron en un carro detrás de una estación de petróleo para cuestionamiento sobre el robo de una máquina de refrescos.Según el testimonio, el oficial Darrel Cain le avisó a Santos que el revólver contenía solo un cartucho, giró el cilindro y apuntó a la cabeza de Santos, urgiéndolo a “decir la verdad”; hizo clic el revólver pero no disparó. Como Santos reiteraba su inocencia, el policía otra vez apretó el gatillo y al instante mató a Santos mientras su hermano lo miraba.
Unos días después del asesinato, miles de personas protestaron en las calles de Dallas, descargando su enojo y su frustración. Luego una investigación determinó que las huellas de la escena no correspondieron a los de Santos ni su hermano. Cain fue condenado por asesinato con mala intención de un jurado de todas personas blancas, pero recibió una sentencia de solo 5 años; y solamente sirvió 2 ½. La comunidad estalló con furia sobre la brevedad de la sentencia, pero falló cada intento de tener el juicio reconsiderado.
Los trabajadores de El Centro de la Raza han llamado de nuestros niños parque Santos Rodríguez no sólo en la memoria de esta joven víctima del racismo, pero en desafío a la sociedad que le causó la muerte, y la confianza de que vamos a ganar en nuestros esfuerzos para acabar con el racismo. Utilizamos su nombre no de luto, sino para conmemorar el día en que creamos una sociedad verdaderamente democrática, que asegure la igualdad de derechos y una vida plena y digna para todos los pueblos. Se nombró este parque Santos Rodriguez Memorial Park para recordarles a todos de la importancia de respetar, querer, cuidar y proteger a todos los niños del mundo.
Updates to the Santos Rodriquez story:
Dallas Police Chief Apologizes for a 12-Year-Old Boy’s 1973 Killing by an Officer
In Memory of Santos Rodriquez: Almost 50 years after his murder . . .
King County launches Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA)
Santos Rodriguez Memorial Park
This park is named in honor of Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year old Chicano boy who lived in Dallas, Texas. On July 24, 1973, Santos and his 13-year old brother David were taken in a squad car behind a gas station to question a burglarized soda machine. According to testimony, Officer Darrel Cain warned that his gun contained only one cartridge, spun the cylinder, and pointed it at the back of Santos’s head, urging him to “tell the truth.” Santos maintained his innocence; the gun clicked once and did not fire. After Santos reiterated his innocence, Cain again pulled the trigger, and this time Santos was killed instantly, as his brother looked on.
Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Dallas just days after the shooting, venting their anger and frustration. An investigation later determined that the fingerprints at the scene of the burglary did not match those of Santos or his brother. Cain was tried and convicted of murder with malice by an all-white jury, but he was sentenced to a mere 5 years in prison for this heinous crime; he only served 2 ½. Outrage over the brevity of his sentence erupted from the community, but all attempts to have the case reviewed failed.
The workers of El Centro de la Raza have named our children’s park Santos Rodriguez not only in memory of this young victim of racism, but in defiance of the society that caused his death, and confident that we will win in our efforts to do away with racism. We use his name, not in mourning but to commemorate the day when we create a society that is truly democratic, that assures equal rights and a dignified, fulfilling life for all peoples. This park was named Santos Rodriguez Memorial Park to remind us all of the importance of respecting, loving, caring for, and protecting all of the world’s children.
Updates to the Santos Rodriquez story:
Dallas Police Chief Apologizes for a 12-Year-Old Boy’s 1973 Killing by an Officer
In Memory of Santos Rodriquez: Almost 50 years after his murder . . .
Please participate in this survey from our friends at ArtsFund
Please help support ArtsFund by taking their short Public Participation Survey – responses you share will provide important information to plan for reopening, guide future operations, and inform future investment.
ArtsFund is an organization with a history of providing timely and quality data to the sector to better advocate conversations in the public and private sectors. The data collected will become a baseline for future conversations about the impact of COVID-19. Your participation will help to ensure that the data being collected is robust, meaningful, and relevant. You all know that our sector has permanently changed. This study attempts to capture some of that change and serve as a starting point for conversations about how to operate in the future. Thank you in advance for completing this survey and sharing it with your friends.
The result will help to a stronger foundation for important conversations we will be having for years to come. Thank you for being a voice for the sector and thank you for supporting the mission of ArtsFund.
King County launches Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA)
Updated vendor schedule for Plaza Roberto Maestas!
Free Tax Preparation & Expanded Child Tax Credit Information at El Centro de la Raza – Every Tuesday from 2-8 PM in our Centilia Cultural Center until September 28th
Articles of Interest
A speech on Child Tax Credits by our José Martí Child Development Center Director Hilda Magana
Good Morning, my name is Hilda Magaña. I am the program Director for the José Martí Child Development Center at El Centro de la Raza.
We are here today to spread the good news about this important benefit for our Children and Families. The American Resource Plan Expands the Child Tax Credit to Provide Support to more families during the 2021 Tax year. Families could get up to Three-thousand Six Hundred dollars per child under six years old and three-thousand dollars for Children up to 17 years of age.
This benefit will reach about thirty-nine million households by making the credit fully refundable. Nearly 90% of all the American children will now benefit from the Child Care Tax Credit.
Our champion representative Suzan DelBene was working hard to make the Child Care Tax Credit a reality. She is fighting to make this expansion permanent. This long-term goal is estimated to cut childhood poverty in half. El Centro de la Raza since our founding has always been committed to helping our families and children fight poverty.
Representative DelBene, El Centro de la Raza is committed to Support the financial benefits to our families and children. We support families with tax prep support in conjunction with the United Way of King County every Tuesday this summer here at El Centro de la Raza.
Our families who will not want to receive the 2021 child tax credit in advance can opt out through the IRS.
The IRS created two websites to allow non-filers to sign up and receive the monthly payments. Including the households that did not file in 2020-2019.
Thank you so much.
A note from our Tobacco & Marijuana Prevention & Cessation Program for NATIONAL PARENTS’ DAY – July 25, 2021
DÍA NACIONAL DE LOS PADRES – 25 de julio de 2021 | Nacional hoy , se celebra para apreciar a los padres, reconocer su trabajo en equipo en la crianza de los hijos, y simplemente bañarlos de amor y afecto. Recuerda que incluso si la persona o las personas que te criaron con amor no están biológicamente relacionadas contigo, han estado allí durante los buenos y malos momentos. ¡Honrémoslos a todos!
Muchos jóvenes y adultos jóvenes en nuestra comunidad LatinX están en medio de una epidemia de tabaco y vapeo. A nivel nacional, el consumo de tabaco sigue siendo la principal causa prevenible de enfermedad y muerte. ¡Nuestros hijos son un reflejo de nosotros! Todas nuestras peculiaridades y manierismos son reflejados por nuestros hijos; promovamos una generación libre de humo/vapeo. Obtenga ayuda para dejar de fumar :: Washington State Department of Health
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NATIONAL PARENTS’ DAY – July 25, 2021 | National Today, is celebrated to appreciate parents, recognize their teamwork in raising children, and just shower them with love and affection. Remember that even if the person or people who raised you with love aren’t biologically-related to you, they have been there during good times and bad. Let us honor them all!
Many youth and young adults in our LatinX community are in the midst of a tobacco and vaping epidemic. Nationally, tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death. Our children are a reflection of us! All our quirks and mannerisms are mirrored by our children; let’s promote a smoke/vape-free generation. Getting Help to Quit Tobacco :: Washington State Department of Health
MJ Resources available at/Recursos de MJ disponibles en:: Marijuana Use Prevention – El Centro de la Raza
Tobacco Resources available at/ Recursos para el tabaco disponibles en: Tobacco/Vape/E-cig Use Prevention & Education – El Centro de la Raza
For more information, please contact us at/ Para obtener más información, póngase en contacto con nosotros: Tobacco & Marijuana Prevention Contacts – El Centro de la Raza.
¡Hablamos español!
Heidi López at (206) 973-4404 or hlopez@elcentrodelaraza.org.
Ileana Garakani at (206) 957-4601 or igarakani@elcentrodelaraza.org.
Updated vendor schedule for la Plaza Roberto Maestas!
Articles of Interest
DACA recipients, families and advocates will push for permanent immigration status
OPINION: ‘Best Start for Kids’ Provides Vital Educational Support
COVID-19/Coronavirus Impact Rent Assistance: Burien
Free Tax Support at El Centro de la Raza & Info on the Earned Income Tax Credit
South King County Health Fair
