Two days after the end of a contentious election, Hispanic business leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth had one clear message for their community: Now more than ever, it’s time for strong leadership.
“Leadership will be most effective at the community level … and I don’t think it could come at a more important time,” said Ralph de la Vega, AT&T’s vice chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T Business Solutions and AT&T International. “It’s local leaders that will lead to a more prosperous America, a more inclusive America, and an America that will serve as a beacon of hope.”
Hundreds of business leaders, many of them ethnic minorities, convened in Dallas to attend the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s inaugural gala Thursday evening. They were there to celebrate the philanthropic arm, its accomplishments, and applaud the efforts of the 300,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in DFW. But politics weren’t off the table.
During a photo montage that played during the reception, a photo of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton flashed across the screen. For the first time in its 37-year history, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber endorsed a presidential candidate, opting to support Clinton.
“We did so because the language in this election was used too much to divide us,” said Javier Palomarez, chamber president and CEO. “We did so because it was bad for business.”
But now that the country has elected Donald Trump to serve as its 45th president, leaders say it’s time to move on and refocus on what they do best: growing businesses.
Work, passion, and drive “are still admired and rewarded in this country,” Palomarez continued, telling those who question greatness to look at themselves in the mirror. “Every one of you represents the proudest of this country. You are the living breathing examples of what has always made America great.”
Palomarez told the room of business leaders they are the proof that hard work leads to success. And it’s time to get back to building that future and drop the labels—black, white, woman, man, Democrat or Republican. There’s only one label that matters now—American, he said.
“Let’s work together to defeat the language of discourse and separation,” Palomarez said. “We can add our own little greatness to that amazing tapestry that is our country.”
But Palomarez wasn’t just speaking to a crowd with diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. He was speaking to a crowd with diverse political views as well.
Exit-poll data, depending on the source, shows that anywhere between 18 and 29 percent of Latinos supported Trump. While I didn’t poll my entire table, at least three—two of whom were Latino—of the 10 guests voted for Trump. The two Hispanics that voted for Trump were of Cuban descent. And while history wasn’t the entire reason for their selection, it played a big role in their decision.
Under Democratic President John F. Kennedy, of course, the U.S. launched a failed invasion, known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro. For some Americans of Cuban descent, that historical moment solidified their loyalty to the Republican party.
History also plays a role in some Mexican-American’s loyalty to the GOP, as well. In 1986, Republican President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, granting amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. It’s a moment that changed the lives of many Mexican immigrants, some of whom then also felt an allegiance to the GOP.
Of course, Trump’s policies differ drastically from Reagan. And with his strong stance on deportation and building a wall along the Mexican border, many have questioned how Latinos could support the president-elect. The answer, according to a couple of my tablemates: Trump’s promises are not going to happen. There simply aren’t the resources and mechanisms in place for massive deportations and the construction of a wall, they believed. It was all election hype, said one.
It became increasingly apparent that not everyone in the room agreed on … well, anything political. But there was one thing everyone seemingly supported: the way Palomarez ended his speech. “As we leave tonight, let us speak with one voice,” he said, “and that is the American voice.”
