The Coalition for Hispanic/Latino Issues and Progress celebrates 25th leadership conference

ELYRIA – The Coalition for Hispanic/Latino Issues and Progress celebrated its 25th Leadership Conference three years late. CHIP's original celebrations, slated for 2020, were put on hold due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Now, as public health restrictions are fully lifted, the coalition is able to celebrate its milestone conference. Its featured speakers Saturday morning touched on topics ranging from civic engagement to mental health, human trafficking, education and women's empowerment, all interjected by spoken word performances at Lorain County Community College's Stocker Arts Center. Armando Telles, of Columbus, touched on the importance of civic engagement in the Latino community. A Marine Corps veteran, he also brought with him an exhibit commemorating the 61 Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients. Telles noted the country's Hispanic and Latino population has the power to be represented and heard, and have itself reflected in its elected officials – but it takes engagement. "The responsibility of being involved in the community is all of ours, it's generational, it's in the present, our tomorrow will reflect on what we did today, how we spent our time, what issues we put our attention on," he said. "Because the people that get elected are making decisions that are going to reflect us at home, that are going to impact us in ways we cannot perceive." Maritza Molis, a Lorain native, published a book in 2018 about raising her son with autism. Standing on stage Saturday, she asked attendees if the pandemic was hard for them, if staying at home was difficult. Local actor Kenny Santiago Marrero stepped on stage, reciting a poem written from the point of view of a child with Autism. When he finished, Molis noted 1 in 43 children are born with autism, and the diagnosis changes everything. Molis and her husband were forced to stay inside long before the pandemic forced the world to shut down — outside meant tempting meltdowns. It's a heavy weight, she said. But it was the husbands, the wives, the parents, the friends, church groups and communities who let Molis — and families like hers — know they were not alone. Dr. Marilyn Sampilo, a pediatric psychologist with a focus in integrated behavioral health and health disparities among marginalized populations, focused on mental health in the Latino community. Only about 30 percent will ever seek treatment, she said, many more suffering in silence. She said too often she'll have parents come into her office and say they didn't know their child was struggling. She said Hispanic and Latino families must foster connections and show up for one another to overcome what she sees as a mental health emergency. Lilleana Cavanaugh, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, spoke on women's empowerment. Motherhood and intellectualism, professionalism are not incompatible, she said, noting empowerment is giving individuals the authority and resources to make their own choices. While rights are a legal stronghold, empowerment is equality on the ground — the ability to take advantage of those rights the same way men do, she said. "Empowerment is going to challenge us to face difficult situations," she said. "We as empowered women can never do it alone. … Empowerment is a journey, not a designation." Rachel Socorro was the last of the presenters Saturday morning. Socorro sits on the Survivor Advisory Council of the Cleveland Collaborative to End Human Trafficking and is also a program coordinator for the group. Socorro was trafficked for 15 years after being forced into an arranged marriage at 19 years old. The price put on her head at the time was about $13,000 and half a kilogram of cocaine. "I can't tell you what that does to your identity, value and self," she said. Human trafficking is in the service industry, migrant workers and sex trade, she said — it's not just being kidnapped in a van and taken to a third-world place to be used in the sex industry. It looks like the woman at your local cosmetic counter, the upper-middle-class, stay-at-home mom, or the local mechanic, she said. "If we don't wrap our arms around one another and follow the model … if we don't gain the wisdom and knowledge, we will stay survivors," she said. "We were promised life, and life abundantly and that's thriving." Each speaker hosted a longer workshop Saturday afternoon, discussing their individual topics in depth with attendees. Saturday evening, CHIP hosted its 25th gala. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.