NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Mayor Helena Moreno’s inauguration ceremony Monday (Jan. 12) was a celebration of what New Orleans is, with speeches, songs and dances from various local culture bearers.
That same diversity was on display during the interfaith prayer before Moreno was sworn in. Local faith leaders from different religions spoke in multiple languages as they prayed for the future of the city and the new regime in City Hall.
Rev. Michelle Aguirre, pastor of Monte de Sion Inglesia, was chosen to say a prayer in Spanish in front of a packed Saenger Theater.
“It is like saying New Orleans is for all of us. We are all welcomed. We are one culture,” Aguirre said.
As pastor of her church, Aguirre has been helping to organize, pack and donate groceries to immigrant families who are shuttered in their homes during the U.S. Border Patrol’s Operation Catahoula Crunch, an immigration crackdown that started Dec. 3.
She’s also one of the leaders of La Voz de la Comunidad, a New Orleans-based nonprofit aimed at advocacy and education for Latino families in the region. Aguirre says she wants the Moreno administration to cater more toward non-English speakers in New Orleans, as predecessor LaToya Cantrell’s administration did in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Doors were closed and we are really hopeful doors will open, so we can better serve our community,” she said.
Moreno makes New Orleans history as the first Latina to serve as mayor. She spoke about how she was born in Mexico, raised in Texas in a Mexican-American family, and eventually found her “forever home” in New Orleans.
Moreno’s pride in her Latina roots excites people like Ingrid Bustos, who hopes for more collaboration between the city and Latino organizations.
Bustos is the founder of ECCO, a nonprofit aimed at financial and educational guidance for Latino and first-generation families.
She also recently was named executive director of Puentes, a nonprofit that helps Latino youth in New Orleans with tutoring, standardized testing and college applications.
“I’m looking forward to see how she is going to support the community — all of the communities,” Bustos said.
Now at the helm of both nonprofits, Bustos hopes the Moreno administration can help with her goal of catering to New Orleans’ ESL (English as a second language) students. Bustos says ESL students make up about 25 percent of the New Orleans public school system.
She hopes with more help and collaboration with City Hall, her organizations can make sure more ESL students finish their education.
“Just 30 percent of ESL students (in New Orleans) graduate from high school. So, how can we change that? Now, everyone needs a high school diploma,” Bustos said.
Moreno isn’t the only Latina trailblazer in her administration.
“Not only do we have the first Hispanic mayor, but also I am the first Hispanic deputy mayor,” Jenny Mains said.
Mains was tapped by Moreno to serve as her deputy mayor for economic development. Mains is a physician-turned-business leader who is one of the leaders of logistics behemoth CRC Global Solutions and founded the company’s philanthropic arm CRC We Care We Share.
Mains said she wants to streamline how both new and current businesses can work and grow in New Orleans.
“We want to make sure that it’s easier to make business in New Orleans,” Mains said. “How we are going to do that is speeding up permits, improving communications between departments and also treating businesses like customers who deserve good services.”
That’s welcomed news for small businesses such as Norma’s Bakery in Mid-City.
Jose Castillo, who manages the Honduran-owned store, said he hopes Moreno and her team make living and working in New Orleans easier while keeping the door open for the next generation.
“We want her to set the best example of a Latina and to open other opportunities for other people too,” Castillo said. “She has a lot of support. She has our support and we are looking forward to good things for everybody.”
Moreno also named Isis Casanova as her director of communications.
Casanova previously worked as the communications director for the New Orleans Department of Health and is also a registered legal interpreter for the Louisiana Supreme Court.
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