Monthly Message – July 2010

Dear friends,

High profile political issues are taking the spotlight in our nation's discourse this summer.  Turn on the news or the radio, and you'll hear about the BP oil spill and what it means for climate legislation; you'll hear about how Congress just passed the long-awaited financial reform bill; and you'll hear about the war in Afghanistan and the classified government documents that were leaked to the press.  The immigration issue is also still at the forefront, with the federal government's lawsuit against Arizona raising critical questions about the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

While all of these important, historic issues are discussed at a national level, our communities still need basic social, educational, and economic supports on a daily basis.  We participate in the national dialogue so that we can advocate for systems change, but we also strive to meet the daily needs of our community members around the corner.  Here's an update on some of the things we're doing in our own backyard this summer: 

  • Our high school was awarded a 21st Century grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which will provide approximately $600,000 over 3 years in support of year round after-school and summer programs. With these funds, Nueva Esperanza Academy will be able to offer extended hours during the school year and summer clubs to its entire student body. These programs will introduce intramural sports to our students, will establish clubs for visual arts, dance, entrepreneurship and journalism, and will augment tutoring services. We’re proud to be able to offer these high-quality services to our inner city, minority youth, who so often don’t have access to these kinds of opportunities. We’re excited to see how they’ll develop not only educationally, but also in maturity and leadership.

  • Esperanza’s subsidiary, Artístas y Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA), is preparing for another successful summer arts and music festival in August. The world-renowned Dominican salsa singer José Alberto “El Canario” will headline the event! We look forward to enjoying the music of our local Latino talent as well.

  • In partnership with Philadelphia’s pro bono architectural firm the Community Design Collaborative, we’re creating a plan to transform the 5th Street business corridor adjacent to our headquarters. For the next three months, an architect will be working with us to envision our ideal streetscape. The design will include benches, lighting, trash bins, trees, and façade improvements for small businesses. Once the design is finished, we’ll begin raising money to make the transformation a reality!

And, as our immigration attorney sees with her clients every day, the need for comprehensive immigration reform is an issue that’s affecting our community members in very real ways in their daily lives. Although it may seem like the conversation has died down in Congress, it’s important that we don’t lose our momentum. We must continue to organize, advocate, and be ready to raise our voices at key moments. We recently launched the African American & Hispanic clergy coalition, to show that there is growing support for immigration reform among faith leaders across ethnic lines. Please continue to read the latest information about Esperanza For America, and keep telling your friends and family about the cause!

In Christ’s name,

The Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr.
President, Esperanza