Working with our Latinx Heroes

By Vivian Lozano, Director of Social Impact

When COVID-19 cases in Hamilton County began to rise, it was terrifying to see that the Latinx community was 60-70% of the positive cases. There were multiple reasons for this increase, but the one that stood out the most was the fact that many in the Latinx community were essential workers. They were the individuals who are considered critical to ensuring that our state and city runs and functions smoothly. They are the workers who are making our food, cleaning our workplaces, working in construction, and harvesting the food that feeds our entire country.

When I think of the heroes of 2020, I think of the unsung ones. The ones who do not have the uniforms that are usually acknowledged and praised. It takes a lot for a city to run smoothly, for it to be able to function at full capacity. What the COVID pandemic has shown us is that there are important roles that are filled by those who are invisible but are still essential. We have witnessed and benefitted first hand from the hard work of these invisible heroes. Many who didn’t have the luxury or the ability to stay home because their work was, and continues to be, imperative to the wellbeing of our communities.

In the eight years that I have worked at La Paz, it never ceases to amaze me how strong the Latinx

“What this pandemic has allowed us to rediscover is that in order to perform heroic deeds you don’t need a uniform.”

community truly is. When we think about the barriers that are faced and how they are overcome, the resilience that I see every day is beautiful. This year, the community came together to overcome hurdles that no one had prepared for or foresaw. When COVID-19 struck the Latinx community the hardest, I saw Latinx groups banding together to make sure their neighbors were being taken care of, to ensure that no one was forgotten. Clinics, organizations, agencies, churches, and entities came together to ensure that important information was being shared through trusted sources, COVID testing at trusted sites was readily available, food was provided for the food insecure, and financial relief was provided for families that were impacted directly by COVID-19. It wasn’t perfect,but the Latinx community was there to help each other.

When we think of the hardships that 2020 has brought us, it is easy to overlook the overwhelming good. For every difficulty that we have faced, the community has risen to create a solution. In a time of such decisiveness, many have chosen to come together and support each other. I am grateful for the dedication of our front line workers, who work is essential to our community, but I encourage our fellow Chattanoogans to not forget our essential workers. They are also heroes who are just as important to our everyday lives.

What this pandemic has allowed us to rediscover is that in order to perform heroic deeds you don’t need a uniform. Being a hero is something as simple as staying home when it was asked of you, following mask mandates in order to protect those around us, and continuing to do essential work. H20

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