In commemoration of Latino Heritage Month, California 100 was proud to partner with the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) to ask Latino organizational leaders what future they envision for the golden state. A survey was sent to LCF community partners asking a series of questions about what a thriving future could be, and what impact Latinos might have on the economy, entrepreneurship, entertainment, education, and improving California’s overall trajectory into the next century.
LCF and California 100 worked with Latinx art creator and storyteller Anna Alvarado to create a visual representation that incorporated many of the responses into one artistic expression.
“This Latino Heritage Month, we celebrated our community, culture, and progress, and we’re focusing not just on these 30 days but on the next 100 years,” said Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation. “As our community grows in numbers and influence we need to be prepared to help shape the future we want to see and the work toward a just and equitable future begins today.”
“We can’t talk about California’s future without talking about the role the Latino community will play in shaping that future,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of California 100. “In many ways the success of our state depends on the success of Latinos. We were proud to partner on this exercise with the Latino Community Foundation to gain better insights from those organizations leading on the frontlines.”
The survey went to hundreds of leaders. They were asked to reflect on what role Latinos might play in the next 100 years. What changes might the community work toward and achieve? What kind of society would participants want for our children and grandchildren?
The questions included:
- When you think of the future for Latinos in California, what comes to mind?
- What cultural artifacts do you think will represent that future…? (think what you might put in a time capsule, that would still be resonant 100 years from now)
- What does a THRIVING Latino future look like to you?
- Close your eyes and imagine California in 50 years…what do you see?
- How will Latinos change the economy in the next 100 years?
- What does the future of Latino entrepreneurship look like to you?
- What does it mean for Latinos in California to be FULLY represented in the economy?
- What does it mean for Latinos in California to be FULLY represented in leadership positions?
- What does it mean for Latinos in California to be FULLY represented in entertainment?
- What does it mean for Latinos in California to be FULLY represented in education?
Some of the responses to the prompt about the future include:
- “A strong and unified future, [where Latinos are] participating at all levels of our State with our voices present from city, county, and state levels engaged in activism and positions of power- also harnessing our culture in all areas of civic engagement and education.”
- “One in which Latinos are prosperous, highly respected, and highly educated. A future in which farmworkers, if they still work in the fields, are paid a living wage and are no longer worried about deportation.”
- “Equity, parity, and economic Prosperity.”
- “We are healthy, means that we have access to equitable resources, that Latinos have a space in politics at higher levels to make critical decisions and at local levels as well, to be united across programs to advocate and grow as one collective people power.”
- “Someone that has a good paying job that respects their dignity, having a home/place to live and not have to worry about high rents/mortgages, maybe someone that has the opportunity to start their own business , they have healthcare and mental health plan, that live in a community with parks, grocery stores, library and that don’t need a car to move around cause there’s affordable and robust public transportation in their community. And someone that has the opportunity to attend cultural events and spaces.”
About California 100
California 100 is a transformative statewide initiative focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. The initiative is incubated at the University of California and Stanford, and is guided by an expert and intergenerational Commission.
About Latino Community Foundation:
The Latino Community Foundation is on a mission to unleash the civic and economic power of Latinos in California. LCF has the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the country and has invested $19 million to build Latino civic and political power and leadership in the state. It is the only statewide foundation solely focused on investing in Latino youth and families in California. LCF established the groundbreaking Latino Nonprofit Accelerator, a tech-inspired model that supports Latino leaders and creates a safe space for them to accelerate social change, impact, and healing in our communities. For more info, please visit: www.latinocf.org