In Unprecedented Show of Support for #BLM, Hispanic Federation Pledges Juneteenth Payroll to Groups to Promote Racial Equity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 19, 2020

Contact:

Gebe Martinez

703-731-9505

New York -- Hispanic Federation (HF), the premier Latinx membership organization which has worked since its inception in 1990 to empower and advance the Hispanic community while battling systemic racism and discrimination, is spending today, Juneteenth, addressing racist policies and practices in communities where HF employees work and live.

As allies of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Federation’s 67 employees have pledged to spend today, June 19, as a day of learning about racial injustice. The Federation’s employees also will donate to organizations working in the social justice movement, with donations to be matched by HF. The organization’s payroll for June 19 also will be donated to three organizations selected by the staff.

“Discrimination against anyone in our society, whether based on the color of one’s skin, gender, or sexual orientation, is abhorrent to our principles as an organization and as individuals,” said Frankie Miranda, President of Hispanic Federation. “We are proud to stand with Black Lives Matter and with all segments of society who seek justice and equality, and we pledge to donate our payroll on Juneteenth to those leading the civil rights battle for all of us,” Miranda added.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in our nation. In the wake of the Civil War, Texas slaves learned on June 19, 1865, three years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that they had been declared free.

To reaffirm the commitment for racial justice and support the work of Black-led sister organizations, Hispanic Federation employees will educate themselves on issues of race, reflect, act, or engage in community service.

Among the planned activities is an HF employee webinar and conversation organized by two coworkers in the health program who are Dominican and are married to black men.

“I consider myself Afro-Latina,” said Marggellin Estevez, one of the hosts. She and her husband have an 18-month-old daughter. “We wanted to coordinate and create this open space to talk about our experiences. I got a lot of people saying, ‘This is great,’ and ‘I’ll be there.’ This is a conversation they are grateful to have.”

Estevez said there are several co-workers who have mixed race children and, like the rest of the world, have been watching people of all races come together to support the Black Lives Matter movement. “I think of everything that is happening right now. I feel for my family. I feel for my daughter. With all that is happening, I fear for them, but at the same time we are having this conversation,” the Federation employee added.

Her webinar partner, Bethsy Morales, is senior director for the Federation’s health programs. She and Marggellin work out of the New York office and frequently talk about their lives at home. When the Juneteenth observance for staff was announced, the duo proposed having their usual Café Bustelo chat on Zoom on June 19.

“We have some Latinos who say, ‘Well, that doesn’t really affect me,” Bethsy said. “We want to have the conversation so that people can look inside themselves and realize that we are all in it together; this is not just one group’s fight.”

Hispanic Federation urges others to join us on Juneteenth by pledging to spend time understanding racial equity and sharing what is learned in their communities. Informed, we can help effect change. Take the pledge.