HispanicVista Columnists

An Open Letter to the Board of Directors of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

By Robert Miranda

September 28, 2005

 

 To: The Board of Directors of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

      The Board of Directors of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin

      Chief Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

You finished your 26^th Annual Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Convention in Milwaukee.  Time and history will determine whether it was meaningful to anyone.  Despite the best face placed upon it by the Journal/Sentinel publicist for the HCCW, Georgia Pabst (MJS reporter), there were many projections you did not reach and serious issues you did not address.  Some persons may want to place those shortcomings as natural or as the fault of extraneous forces.  As in most cases, for many of us, many of the shortcomings are individually or organizationally internal.  For example, after reading my latest column, published in the Milwaukee Spanish Journal, the CEO of the HCCW found it necessary to send me the eloquent and prolific message below.

I’m pleased to know that her ego is fueled by my writings and that the truth has caused her to respond in this manner. I had hoped to motivate some self-reflection on her part and perhaps initiate a dialog of substance, instead of the pandering and ego-stroking that marks the communication within and outside the HCCW.

I am addressing Ms. Cameron because she is the one who wrote to me. However, I believe she represents the values and thoughts of the HCCW she has formed and controlled for all these years. Some of the HCCW board members have privately and in whispers uttered variances from the party line, but they have failed to do so publicly or courageously. What does that tell you about an organization whose members of the board of directors are afraid to speak up, but whisper and gossip their distance from the party line?

While I find her words to be venomous and striking, I could not bear the thought of not sharing with each of you her most moving decry yet.

The response Ms. Cameron gave is a reflection of her tactics of intimidation and vindictiveness. This “leader” does not engage in any debate on the issues brought in the public arena. I choose to engage in this arena because this is where we begin the process of stabilizing our community and move to make economic and social changes in the interest of Latino families.

I particularly appreciate how she uses the word “pendejo”. Does this signify an openness to dialog and a respectful invitation to discourse to you?

Ms. Cameron's vivid description of how she "noticed the garbage cans were full of the trash edition" of the newspaper that was published by Education for The People, leaves one with the picture in mind that the garbage cans were overflowing with discarded newspapers.  Ms. Cameron truly appears to have a great imagination, or has experienced some sort of hallucination brought on by the sun while she sat outside watching her parade go by.

You should all be proud of the representation you have in Milwaukee. Be proud in knowing that she speaks with fluent and powerful rhetoric, thoughts and language, which I rarely experienced in the U.S. Marine Corps barracks during my years of service as a Marine platoon leader.

I hope that she will continue to express her inner-self even more in the coming weeks. Now that final numbers are being reported regarding attendance and other data related to your convention, it will be interesting to see if Milwaukee taxpayers got back most, if not all, of their investments.

HCCW board member and USHCC Chairman, George Franco boasted 5000 convention participants will be injecting $5,000,000.00 into the local economy. While it is being reported that $3,000,000.00 was injected into the local economy (an impressive figure), one has to ask, did the broader Latino owned businesses community benefit the most? Still, we are $2,000,000.00 short of projections.  

Milwaukee will pick up the tab that comes with paying police officers over-time; event promotions subsidized by the city; galas subsidized by Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee and the list goes on. Will that $2,000,000.00 shortfall loom ominous to the city budget later?

Still, it was a good parade, even if it was a short one, would you not agree?

Now that we have each others attention, we have an opportunity, to engage in a significant and substantive dialog that truly encompasses the needs of the small Latino entrepreneur and the economy afflicting and limiting the vast majority of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Latino families from participation.

Indeed, HCCW considers me an enemy. Nonetheless, if why words move HCCW towards being more responsive to the broader Milwaukee Latino small business community, then my message will have served in the best interest of Latino small businesses, which in turn will increase the local Latino community's economic power.

Robert Miranda

Boricua, Milwaukee, WI.

Robert F. Miranda wrote:
 *HCCW Parade Satisfies Ego*
 By Robert Miranda
 Milwaukee Spanish Journal
 “Taking Sides”
 9/18/2005

 On Saturday the HCCW held a parade in Milwaukee’s downtown to celebrate Hispanic Heritage. Colorful and vibrant the parade lacked representation from the Mexican community which is about 70% of the total Latino population in the area. Aside from a couple of floats representing Mexico, Hispanics from El Salvador and Puerto Rico had large representation at the parade—good for them.

 Many will say that having the parade was a great accomplishment. That Hispanics were able to show their colors and culture and represent their presence in Milwaukee. Well, forgive me for saying so, but I think Milwaukee knows that we’re here, folks.

 Not that having a parade is all bad, but lets face it, the parade was a dog and pony show designed to swell a few peoples head at the HCCW with notions of grandeur and pompous illusions of majesty.

 Picture this, Maria Monreal-Cameron heading the parade in a open top car and in a loud and obnoxious voice bellows at the top of her lungs, “VIVA MEXICO, VIVA MARIA CAMERON!”

 Wait a minute! Let’s repeat that last part. “VIVA MARIA CAMERON!”

 Hey! I’m not making this stuff up. Yes, she actually said that.

 Now, for one to be in the lead of a parade that is supposed to highlight Hispanic Heritage I fail to share in the notion that one yelling praise and admiration for oneself helps to advance Hispanic Culture.

 I was a bit thrown by this—“VIVA MARIA CAMERON!”

 So I ask. Was this parade a salute to Hispanic Heritage? Or was this parade organized so that a few people could get some attention drawn to themselves in order to satisfy their ego?

 I mean, lets review this.

 HCCW hosts a national convention which draws a few thousand participants, some may have never visited Milwaukee before. HCCW has planned and organized a parade to celebrate Hispanic heritage. From the lead car in the parade the HCCW CEO yells “VIVA MARIA CAMERON!” Hmmm…

 Needless to say this self promotion turned me off.

 Here’s the kicker. What really should get your blood boiling is the fact that during this convention, not one effort was organized to have groups of these convention goers come to Milwaukee’s Latino community to walk on Cesar E. Chavez Dr., or to venture into some of the small businesses operating in our community.

 Indeed, not one bus was ordered up by the HCCW to fill with hungry convention goers and sent to Walker’s Point or Lincoln Village so that these people coming from all over the country can spend a few dollars in restaurants and stores owned by Latinos.

 One member of the HCCW told me that efforts were made to get some local restaurants in the Latino community involved, but that few responded. Well, that may be the case, but that fails to explain why an organization like the HCCW, which professes to be an advocate for Hispanic Businesses, failed to simply organize convention goers for a visit in Milwaukee’s Latino community.

 What a great opportunity for many Hispanic business people visiting from other parts of the country to see Latino life and businesses growing in Milwaukee.

 What a missed opportunity for Latino businesses. The planning and all the hoopla put into this convention failed to recognize the importance of the neighborhood business. The money spent with big corporations downtown and the money spent with big business companies feeding this event failed to even think to share some of that money with Latino small businesses in the southside.

 What we got in return is a parade featuring the HCCW CEO praising herself.

 Pathetic.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

 *Milwaukee’s Latino Businesses Not Being Represented*
 http://www.theorganism.net/
 http://wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=2572
 By Robert Miranda

 The hoopla and fanfare surrounding the national convention of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) might be an exciting event for Milwaukee’s business community, but many of Milwaukee’s Latino businesses are being left out, and in some cases chased out of competing for business opportunities in this city.

 The USHCC is in town this weekend, what a great time to showcase Latino business power in this city. Unfortunately, Latino businesses will not be adequately represented, because most Latino businesses will not be part of the “Big Deal” event taking place at the Midwest Express Center in Downtown Milwaukee.

 Indeed, corporate America has given lip service to the Latino community by consistently telling Latino leaders that they will continue to increase diversity in corporate boardrooms and senior management; to increase corporate America's procurement of goods and services from Hispanic-owned businesses; and to increase corporate America's philanthropic support of Hispanics and Hispanic communities.

 The road to achieve these lofty goals is a long one indeed; the journey is even made longer for Latino entrepreneurs who are not part of the business network known as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin.

 Representing only 40% Latino businesses (businesses that are 51% Latino owned), HCCW has become a windfall of opportunity for businesses that are not owned by Latinos. In fact, Latinos, who make up about 60% of the HCCW’s overall membership, seldom benefit from their membership. Those that do have either very close ties to the Republican Party, are related to key leaders of the HCCW or are very close friends of key leaders of the HCCW.

 By and large, the HCCW is a tool for economic conquest used by larger Anglo corporations and a go between for economic prosperity for close friends and family members of the organizations CEO.

 When one looks beyond the pomp and circumstance now permeating around this convention, one will no doubt see that the HCCW is wooing Anglo businesses, rather than those owned by Hispanics.

 Economic development taking place in the Walker’s Point area of Milwaukee, where the majority of Latinos reside and where many Latino small businesses are operating, is hurting and endangering Latino small businesses.

 In these days a thriving, respected business isn't enough to survive; like more and more tenants and small businesses throughout Milwaukee, many Latino, mostly Mexican businesses, are being evicted from their place of business, or are being denied required licenses needed to conduct business. This plight is nothing new for the broader Latino
 community. What is taking place in Milwaukee is the destruction of a working-class and Latino identity that has historically been present in the neighborhood.

 Latino businesses are being pushed out of Walker’s Point and the HCCW is letting it happen. Why not? Most of those Latino businesses are not members of the HCCW.

 Developers are coming into Walker’s Point pushing Latino businesses out and helping non-Latino businesses establish in this area that many consider will be a thriving commercial district in the next few years.

 But rather than stand strong for Latino entrepreneurs, the leadership of the HCCW has allowed this gentrification, because this organization’s business members, who are mostly white, stand to benefit from the growing development taking place in the area.

 Rising rent, fuel and fees is forcing many disadvantaged Latinos out of Walker’s Point. This gentrification is closing the door to prosperity and opportunity for the broader Latino community. Some will argue that Latino businesses are starting in other parts of the Southside, and that they’ll prosper in those areas as well. This may be true, however, while these southside neighborhoods change and become more Latino, this also means that these neighborhoods will become more poverty stricken. Money is not following these people being displaced by development, and the HCCW is not representing the economic interests of the broader Latino business community within Walker’s Point and other parts of Milwaukee’s southside.

 The writing is on the wall. Many Latino businesses not linked with HCCW will be lost, and if something does not happen, there is a real possibility that there will be a real high turnover of Latino businesses and residents in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, leaving a small band of well connected Highspanics taking advantage of the billions being poured into the area for economic development. •
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Robert Miranda, a frequent contributing columnist to HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com), is a national award winning columnist, Latino community activist and Editor-in-Chief of the Milwaukee Spanish Journal. Email at: rmiranda@wi.rr.com