new resource for business owners

Latino Trade Network kicks off as a new resource for business owners

By Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio

Last summer, six entrepreneurs met together to figure out how to better support one another and others like them. Amner Martinez, Yeymi Tobar, Jaime Leiva, Rocio Hermosillo Tarin, Chris Noth, Kenji Nakata decided one way to do that would be to create a new networking resource for Latino-owned businesses, business owners and entrepreneurs. They named it the Latino Trade Network. After the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce hosted the Black and Brown Business Summit last April, Martinez approached the chamber to partner on the endeavor. It agreed to help sponsor and organize the kick off event that took place at La Cuscatleca South last Thursday January 27. “It’s time for us to unite in that sense, and start sharing resources, start sharing knowledge that will help everyone grow even more and also become a place where we can be a little bit more influential in different areas,” co-founder Jaime Leiva said. He said he believes the Latino business community can empower each other by sharing resources and experiences, including new businesses and well established ones. Tom Florian, the director of membership and growth at the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, added he is looking forward to seeing another aspect. “The mentorship is a key piece as we continue to build the networking and the connections among these could be brand new entrepreneurs, small businesses that have just opened and to have a network designed to provide mentors right away to help them grow and succeed,” Florian said. Leiva and the other co-founders plan to follow the kickoff event with monthly or quarterly meetings to continue strengthening relationships within Latino communities, business communities and where they overlap. He said he hasn’t seen many continued networking opportunities for Latino business owners. “Currently, the options are very limited. I can’t think of anything of this scale where people can meet. I know in the past, groups [and] different organizations have done events for Latino networking. But more recently, those are really not in existence,” he said, noting COVID-19 has caused some endeavors to stall. He also thanked the Chamber for making the event happen. Florian said the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has been focused on being intentional and inclusive when providing opportunities to business owners.

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Evento Mainframe Studios Primer Viernes Estudio Abierto

El evento First Friday Open Studio (Primer Viernes Estudio Abierto) celebrará el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana. La alineación muestra la nueva ubicación de ArtForce lowa y una exhibición de trabajos de artistas BIPOC seleccionados por ArtForce lowa. Como siempre, los eventos de estudio abierto del primer viernes son gratuitos y abiertos al público. ¡Únete a la diversión! Mainframe Studios está ubicado en 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines.

Mainframe Studios First Friday Open Studio event

First Friday Open Studio event will celebrate Black History Month. The line up showcases ArtForce lowa’s new location and an exhibition of work from BIPOC Artists curated by ArtForce lowa. As always, the First Friday open studio events are free and open to the public. Come join the fun! Mainframe Studios are located at 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines.

Photo by Tar Macias / Hola Iowa

Attendees of the Latino Trade Network Happy Hour at La Cuscatleca South. Photo by Tar Macias / Hola Iowa

DES MOINES

From Ecuador to Iowa, Maria Corona has a global vision for addressing violence and the inequities that fuel it

By Andrea May Sahouri, Des Moines Register

Maria B. Corona remembers the protests outside her family’s apartment in Quito, Ecuador, in the late 1990s when the nation’s economy was on the edge of collapsing. The tires burning in the capital’s streets. The road closures. The desperation. Then there was the domestic violence she says her mother endured for years. Corona can’t forget the screams, the tears, the many times her father would come home drunk late at night. The economic instability and turmoil in Ecuador was the breaking point for Corona’s mother. In 1999, when Corona was 11, her mother packed up her two children and their belongings and headed to New Jersey. She left her husband behind. “She said, ‘I need to get out. I need to get out for my kids,’” Corona, now 33, told the Des Moines Register. “My mom is a damn warrior. She just did it. She figured it out on her own with two kids.” Corona, now 33, is the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s new executive director and a leader in Iowa’s anti-violence and racial justice movements. Her mother’s experience as a domestic violence survivor motivates Corona. Those who have worked with her say she has become a force that has built and strengthened a grassroots movement against violence in Iowa, one that emphasizes the intersections between gender, race and immigration. “I’m trying to transform the way we, as an anti-violence movement, address the root causes of violence. And the root causes of violence are rooted in racial justice, gender equity, housing, stability, mental health,” Corona said. Her passion, intersectional vision and leadership throughout Iowa make her one of the Des Moines Register’s 2022 People to Watch. Her vision of change is so large, she talks fast to get it all out, her hands gesturing as she jumps from one root cause of violence to the next during an interview at Ritual Cafe, a Latina-owned coffee shop downtown. Her red, sharp coat matched the cafe’s colorful tones, and her big smile was warm and inviting. She paused only to say that she knew she was talking fast. “If we want to be equitable, if we want to actually end violence, then we have to do our work through an antiracist lens,” she said.

Personal experience fuels her approach to antiviolence

The Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence she leads is a survivor-centered coalition that represents 22 organizations across the state. The coalition advocates for legislation that leaders believe will increase safety and healing for survivors of domestic violence. It also provides resources to victims of violent crime, including a legal clinic, scholarships, financial empowerment courses, housing assistance, services for incarcerated victims of domestic violence, and much more. Corona, who was hired in May, has a lot of goals for the coalition. As a Latina, as a previously undocumented immigrant and as someone who has both witnessed and experienced domestic violence, she is pushing the coalition to better contextualize violence. That means understanding why, in some cultures, separation is seen as shameful, Corona said. It means understanding the reasons people cause harm and the failures of the justice system to help victims and perpetrators. It also means understanding the challenges that immigrants in particular might face, such as language barriers or lack of access to government-funded resources. And, she said, it means being more accessible and intentional. Corona wants to lift up the voices of women of color who experience domestic violence, because they face multiple layers of oppression and violence, she said. “I’ve lived it, what many of the women we serve go through on a daily basis,” Corona said. “That lived experience fuels my approach.” Veronica Guevara, the coalition’s director of equity and inclusion, said watching Corona work is empowering and inspiring. Whether Corona is visiting the state’s domestic violence shelters, advocating for policy changes, bringing organizations together, going to court to support survivors or strategizing legal cases — “her heart is so big, and it is in everything that she does,” said Guevara, 30. “She has high expectations, and she challenges you to really do your best. But she’s also incredibly flexible and caring and supportive — all the things that you would want a boss to be,” Guevara continued. “And nothing is too small for her — I’ve just watched in awe.” Corona’s mother, Hilda Zuñiga, said she sees her own determination now embodied in her daughter. “I always look to be better. I am so proud; Maria has the courage to help people,” said Zuñiga, 55, who lives in New Jersey. To see her children happy and successful is “everything I wished for,” Zuñiga said.

Corona brings years of research, activism to the table

Corona’s resume is stacked with academic accomplishments and years of work in social services. At Iowa State University, she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2011, her master’s degree in 2017 and a doctorate in 2020. There, the seeds were planted for what would come next. At the university, she organized protests and demonstrations against anti-immigrant racism and xenophobia in Iowa. She co-founded and led organizations and initiatives that worked to advance change for students of color and provided support and community for Latinx students. “I couldn’t stay silent. I’m very vocal when there’s injustice,” Corona said.

Among her whirlwind of other accomplishments:

From 2013 to 2016, Corona worked at ACCESS, the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter & Support, helping survivors of domestic violence who were undocumented. Her time at ACCESS inspires her work today, she said. In 2019, she co-founded the Ames Sanctuary Interfaith Partners, which supports undocumented immigrants, helps with application fees for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and provides physical sanctuary for asylum seekers. Corona helped mobilize the Latino vote with LULAC during the 2016 election. She was undocumented at the time and couldn’t vote herself. During a 2017 internship with Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, she helped create the organization’s statewide Immigration and Customs Enforcement hotline. Corona has collaborated with immigrant and refugee leaders across the state to advocate for better COVID-19 response and more relief efforts. Over the years, Corona has earned over a dozen honors, awards and fellowships for her work in the Latinx community. “I’m not one to just stop. I’m not,” Corona said. “I’m here to push.”

Targeting legislative change, building a movement

Corona said she wants to build genuine relationships with organizations throughout the state, and she wants to advocate for more formal changes. Corona intends to fight hard for the 2022 legislative priorities the coalition has drafted. Those goals include more funding and programs to help survivors heal and to address the inequities Corona says are the roots of violence, including racial and gender disparities and unequal pathways to citizenship. “This is about movement building. It’s about the future generations,” Corona said. “I want the future generation to have what I didn’t have — healing, justice.” Corona said she is energized by the influence she will have in her new role. She said she can’t wait for her community to feel the same way she does, that they’re about to change the world.

Andrea Sahouri covers social justice for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by phone 515284-8247.

What makes a credit union different?

By Kenia Calderon Ceron

Now is the perfect time to review your financial institution’s products and services to see if there are better options for you and your family. Knowing the difference between a credit union and a bank could not only help you save money but also create a lasting impact on your local community. Credit unions and banks may look the same from the outside, but they operate differently and with different benefits. Their differences are important to remember when shopping around for the right financial institution for you and your family. Like banks, credit unions are federally insured financial institutions offering checking and savings accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages, and investments accounts. One of the misconceptions about credit unions is that your money is not as secure as they would be at a bank. This belief comes from how other credit unions operate across Latin American countries. However, in the United States, credit unions are insured in the same way, and at the same value as banks. You may have heard about credit unions because of their lower rates or community giving. Regardless of the credit union size, lower rates are part of the DNA of the credit union movement. Unlike banks, credit unions are non-for-profit entities governed solely by their members. Therefore, the credit union’s profit is invested back into their membership through lower rates on loans, higher dividends on savings, and community support. In 2021, according to Challahan and Associates, GreenState ranked among the top 2% nationally for returning their earnings back to members. The same year, GreenState supported over 650 charitable programs and events across the state of Iowa and provided a total of $2,600,000 back into the communities where their members live and raise their families. Full inclusion continues to be a strategic focus for many credit unions across the nation. This is another factor to consider when reviewing a financial institution’s offerings as it pertains to your unique situation. According to the Iowa Data Center, the Latino community will double in size in Iowa by 2050. Therefore, check to see if your financial institution: Accepts ITINs and ensure their lending practices are inclusive of ITIN holders Are materials, documents, and information available in Spanish Offers online and mobile banking in Spanish Has staff representative of the community Has flexible lending practices to account for selfemployed members Is involved and visible in community events Sponsors and invests in organizations working with Latinos GreenState Credit Union has implemented those efforts and continues to make strives to be more inclusive and adapt to the Latino community. They are the number one auto and mortgage lender in Iowa. Fostering a trusted relationship with a credit union will help you and your family meet your financial goals. As a valuable member of our community, you deserve to receive service in your preferred language, understand the documents you sign, and access the best rates in the state. Start the new year with a financial institution working for you.

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DAVENPORT

Felicidades a Don Jose y Doña Luz Murillo en su aniversario número 48 de casados de parte de todos sus compañeros de Hola America y Hola Iowa.

Congratulations to Jose and Luz Murillo on their 48th wedding anniversary from all their friends at Hola America and Hola Iowa.

Photos by Tar Macias / Hola Iowa

DES MOINES

On Saturday January 29 the Latina Leadership Initiative of Greater Des Moines began their 2022 program with 10 amazing future Latina leaders of Iowa. Congratulations to the new executive director Diana Echeverria on a great start for the 2022 class at Grand View University. • The Latina Leadership Initiative of Greater Des Moines (LLI) supports emerging Latina leaders by providing leadership skills, focusing on personal growth, professional advancement, and community networking and engagement.

El sábado 29 de enero, la Iniciativa de Liderazgo de Latinas de Greater Des Moines comenzó su programa 2022 con 10 increíbles futuras líderes latinas de Iowa. Felicitaciones a la nueva directora ejecutiva Diana Echeverria por un gran comienzo para la clase 2022 en Grand View University.