What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
Dozens of Latino business owners showed up at Legislative Hall in Dover this week to network with Delaware’s community leaders, legislators and representatives.
La Plaza Delaware and the Delaware Alliance for Latino Entrepreneurs hosted the event. The mission of the organizations is to support Latino entrepreneurs and help them grow and elevate their businesses.
Mary DuPont, founder and executive director of La Plaza Delaware, said the gathering gave legislators and members of the Latino community an opportunity to build relationships and better understand how policy decisions can affect them.
“It’s important, because so many bills come up. So much legislation is passed that has a huge impact on the Latino community,” DuPont said. “And I think it’s really important that, when legislators are considering these bills, they have a frame of reference. They actually know somebody. They met some Latino businesses or members of the Latino community. And they recognize — ‘Hey, these are my constituents and they matter.’ They’re making a difference here in Delaware. They have businesses. They’re contributing to our tax base. They’re buying goods and services from other members of the community. They make the economy go around.”
For some entrepreneurs, the event was also an opportunity to speak more openly about issues affecting their communities and businesses.
Milly Morales, an entrepreneur from Georgetown who owns the beauty salon Celestial Beauty, said many Latinos are often raised to stay quiet — something she believes needs to change.
“Creciendo latina, mis padres siempre me enseñaron de ser más calladita, de no platicar, ‘más calladita te ves más bonita’ y, honestamente, estando aquí te obliga a platicar”, ella dijo. “Tienes que dar un paso adelante y hacer tu círculo más grande con las personas que afectan nuestra vida y nuestros negocios.”
“Growing up Latina, my parents always taught me to be quieter, not to talk too much. ‘The quieter you are, the prettier you are.’ And honestly, being here forces you to talk,” she said. “You have to step up and expand your circle to include the people who affect our lives and our businesses.”
Morales says conversations about policies and decisions at the state level can have real impact even in smaller communities.
“Muchos piensan que lo que pasa en la noticia no afecta a todos, porque estamos en Delaware, eso es todos los Estados Unidos, pero honestamente afecta a las comunidades pequeñas, afectan los buses latinos y afectan a los niños”, Morales dijo. “Siendo una persona negociante, creo que mucha de la gente no sabe que hay leyes también que les pueda afectar.”
“Many people think that what happens in the news doesn’t affect everyone, because we’re in Delaware, which is the whole of the United States, but honestly, it affects small communities, it affects Latino buses and it affects children,” she said.
