Palm Beach County kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a shot of Cuban
cafecito and a sampling of
pastelitos before boarding Palm Tran's “Somos Familia" bus for an inaugural Hispanic Heritage Cultural Tour.
“This means more than just a tour," said Virginia M. Savietto, M.A., administrative assistant to Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Gregg K. Weiss, District 2. “This is a celebration of how Hispanics in this community share in its history and their contributions to Palm Beach."
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 through October 15. Savietto, with the support of Palm Tran, the Director of Community Services Department for Palm Beach County James Green, and Smithsonian Fellow Martha Gutiérrez-Steinkamp, organized the one-day tour of Palm Beach County.
Savietto, who is Argentinian born and Gutiérrez-Steinkamp, who is Cuban-born of Spanish heritage, designed the tour to highlight the cultural influences Hispanics have had in Palm Beach County since its inception and all the community services available to Latinos.
For Palm Tran, this is the second Hispanic Heritage bus, and part of the transit agency's commitment to honor the community it serves.
“We live in a very diverse community and it is important for us to honor the residents we serve and to understand and respect each other's cultures," said Palm Tran Executive Director Clinton B. Forbes, who noted Palm Tran's many buses that honor cultures and heritages each year including Black History Month, Haitian Flag Day and Pride Month. “As the bus theme states, we are all family and it is wonderful to celebrate our community together."
The tour group was comprised of Hispanic leaders throughout Palm Beach County, including county employees, to leaders of private companies, and representatives of organizations that serve the Hispanic community. With the bus filled to capacity, the tour group was able to hear from each invited guest and learn about their role in leading and helping the Latino community.
“I think it was a fantastic opportunity to get a deeper, broader perspective of the community we serve," said Isami Ayala-Collazo, director of facilities development and operations for Palm Beach County, and one of the only Latinos in upper management in the county. “I hope it will be repeated and become a tradition."
Christina Lambert, West Palm Beach City Commissioner of District 5 and of Mexican and Portuguese descent also enjoyed the tour. “It made me feel pride in my community in the way we already honor the Hispanic heritage, and it opened my eyes for areas to improve," she said.
Houston L. Tate, Division Director of the Palm Beach County's Office of Community Revitalization (OCR), echoed those thoughts.
“This tour showed us that it is very important that community departments collaborate," said Tate, stating how OCR serves 84 communities. “All the departments and organizations serve the same area, we need to come back to the table and leverage resources."
The bus design was a team effort between Palm Tran and county officials working together to build on the theme “Somos Familia", we are family. Vibrant flags representing all Latin nations wrapped the top of the bus, and action scenes of a family eating together, a game of dominos, soccer and music set with the blue sky in the background create the feel of celebration. For those attending the tour, the bus was a main attraction.
“I've been on other bus tours and one reason this tour was so special was the Palm Tran bus," Lambert noted, adding that everyone was able to see each other and really listen to the speakers. “It was like a living room on wheels. It was so engaging."
The first stop was the Boca Museum of Art, where the tour attendees learned about several Hispanic artists that have been showcased at the museum and about the past Mayan exhibit, which began its international tour in Boca.
Between each stop, the tour attendees were able to hear from each other and the organization or services they provide. Such as Denise Negron, the Executive Director of Farmworker Coordinating County of Palm Beach County which was founded in 1977. Negron, who is originally from Puerto Rico, said the work they do helps farmers with health and educational services families would otherwise not have. Most farmers make about $8,000 a year.
“The goal is for them to be self-sufficient," said Negron, who spoke about education, scholarships and advancements. “We want to break the cycle of poverty."
Rick Gonzalez, president and owner of REG Architects, spoke about being one of the first minority-owned business to open and work in the revitalization of Palm Beach County.
From Cuba, the family settled in Palm Beach County and in 1988, Gonzalez and his father opened the architectural firm. They have been part of many private and public projects, including one of the stops on the tour, the restored 1916 Palm Beach County Court House which is home to the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.
“In 1985, there were very few Latinos involved in the city," said Gonzalez, recalling the Palm Beach County's downtown. “Thankful for the county commission and their vision to build it and they will come. Thirty years later, our downtown is thriving. I like to say we have a charming downtown, protected our buildings and historic buildings."
Suzanne Cordero, executive director of El Sol in Jupiter, shared how the neighborhood resource center began with support from town leaders seeking a solution to curb crime and help people. The center helps labor workers by having all hiring personnel or companies register so each worker can find jobs without fear of stolen wages. The center provides other needs, such as language classes and more. It has been a lifeline for many Hispanics.
“The town of Jupiter is so supportive, they saw a need," said Cordero, who lives part of the year in Florida and another part in her home country of Guatemala. “Workers come to El Sol to find work. There is no more loitering on the streets."
At the Caridad Center in Boynton Beach, the group was able to tour the pristine center which provides medical, vision, dental and social services to underserved adults, children, and families. Of the nearly 2,000 the center serves in just one year, 78% are Hispanic, and 13% are black or African American. All services are free and all staff is 100% volunteer.
Greenacres, which has a large Hispanic population, included two stops. The first was at one of the many parks where Greenacres Mayor Joel Flores welcomed the group and spoke about the
Fiesta de Pueblo & Business Expo, a multi-cultural organization and host of the annual
Los Tres Reyes Magos y Ano Nuevo event.
At Okeeheelee Middle School, a dual language school in Greenacres, tour attendees entered the building with sounds of tambourines, guitar and dancing to a traditional Spanish song.
After a packed morning, the tour stopped at Don Ramon Cuban Restaurant in West Palm Beach's Latin Quarter to enjoy a meal of
arroz amarillo, pollo y bistec con maduros. After lunch, the group visited the main Palm Beach County Library, a stop at the Historical Society where three Latin judges addressed the group and ended with music from the Palm Beach Symphony. Two Hispanic musicians played music from Spanish conductors on the trombone, ending with a passionate flamenco piece played on double bass.
“The significance is wonderful," Savietto said. “It was so humbling to hear from the organizations. We started somewhere. We made history."
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