Year in Review 2020
¡ADIOS 2020!
A message from our Executive Director:
Amplify Latinx has done incredible work this year, from research, advocacy, coalition-building and educational covenings that have grown our network to over 4,500 Latino leaders and 150 partner organizations. You can learn more about the impact of our work in our year end appeal. This work would not have been possible without our donors and sponsors.
Since our launch three years ago, Amplify Latinx has become a key convener, connector, and influencer on the issues facing the Massachusetts Latino community. In 2020, we advanced economic opportunity, leadership representation and civic engagement.
Here is a review of what we accomplished together with you during this past year!
Rosario Ubiera-Minaya
FEBRUARY | We had a packed month celebrating Black History Month. We continued highlighting and recognizing the contributions and achievements of our Black and Afro-Latinos. We presented 9 afro-latino perspectives through our Afro-Latino blog, hosted a Cafecitos Power Breakfast in partnership with Berkshire Bank’s ReevXLab, Madison Park CDC and BECMA and launched the first Cafecitos Series in Lawrence in collaboration with The Lawrence Partnership at the Lawrence Public Library.
APRIL | We partnered with the Foundation for Business Equity, the Boston Foundation, BECMA, CommonWealth Kitchen and Ujima Boston to launch the Business Equity COVID-19 Emergency Fund (BECEF) to provide $1 million in recoverable grants to businesses owned by people of color. We also launched the Cafecitos Virtual Series and the Business Resiliency webinar series.
JUNE | Amplify Latinx partnered with three organizations in Chelsea, Everett and Revere to make sure every person was counted in the 2020 Census. This regional collaboration supported by the Complete Count Grant program included La Colaborativa (Chelsea), La Comunidad (Everett) and Women Encouraging Empowerment (Revere). Dubbed “Aqui Estamos y Contamos” (We are here and we count), the collaboration made drastic changes to their strategy to make sure the hardest to reach populations in their communities are counted in spite the challenges brought by the COVID -19 crisis.
JULY | We hosted our 4th Annual Amplify Conference – Nuestro Impacto: Be Counted, Be Heard in partnership with the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and the Gastón Institute, in collaboration with our partner organizations.
During this two-day virtual conference we brought together Latinx leaders, community organizations, businesses and power-building groups from across Massachusetts to strengthen relationships and co-create a policy agenda that advances our collective prosperity.
AUGUST |Amplify Latinx joined MassINCPolling and MassINC to present results from a timely survey of Latinx MA residents. The poll looked at attitudes and experiences on topics such as voting, the census, COVID-19, education, as well as how the pandemic has affected economic and financial stability. Made possible by the support from Barr Foundation, The Latino Legacy Fund at The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston Latino Network Eos Foundation, Boston Impact Initiative, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
SEPTEMBER | We partnered with the MFA Boston to host our 2nd annual Latinx Heritage Night during Hispanic Heritage Month. In addition Mayor Marty Walsh, the City of Boston and Mayor’s Office of Economic Development Boston were joined by the City of Lawrence in declaring September 14, 2020 as Support Latino Business Day!
OCTOBER |In celebration of the culmination of Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 -October 15) we hosted a festive gathering honoring our 2020 Amplifiers. Attendees had the chance to select five Latinx-led non-profit Community Partners to receive a grant in recognition of their response to the most immediate needs of our community. Each of the top five vote-getters will be awarded a minimum $1,000 grant to help further their work. We also had live music and a virtual culinary experience.
Investing in our Shared Future: Solidarity and Sustainability for the 21st Century Latino Community Organizations
Amplify Latinx jointly released two studies on the Latino nonprofit sector in the Commonwealth that highlight the critical role that Latino CBOs play in supporting and empowering the growing Latino community with culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate services and programming. Amplify Latinx and Greater Boston Latino Network commissioned two complementary research reports on Latino nonprofits to understand the landscape of Latino-led community-based organizations (CBOs), their services areas, strengths, and needs. Amplify Latinx and the Gastón Institute partnered to gather data about the current Latino non-profit organizations in Massachusetts and establish a benchmark that would allow an assessment of the strengths of the specific services provided by these non-profits to Latino communities across the state. As part of the research, Gastón developed a first-of-its-kind mapping of the Latino nonprofit organizations in MA, and a report with recommendations to build the sustainability and longevity of the sector.
Concurrently, GBLN conducted a separate report on Latinx-led nonprofits in Boston to dive deeper and better understand the challenges facing this sector based on key voices. The GBLN study provides a unique view on the collectivity of the Greater Boston-based organizations and how these organizations have emerged as vital in assisting Latinx residents and others to meet challenges related to education and housing inequality, economic inequalities and poverty, anti-immigrant policies and sentiments.
The reports found that the Latino nonprofit sector and their central contributions to Latino communities and overall civic life remains invisible to many power brokers and philanthropy in Massachusetts, in spite of expanding demands due to the exponential demographic growth of Latinos in Massachusetts.
Read the reports here:
2020 LATINX AMPLIFIERS
In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Amplify Latinx celebrated the work of 30 risk-takers, quiet disruptors, and outspoken advocates leading social change by amplifying in our communities. We sought nominations of individuals in the Arts & Culture, Business, Education, Government and Politics, and the Non-Profit sectors. We received over 100 nominations and were blown away by the impact the nominees are making in our community. The final honorees were selected by a diverse panel of judges representing the five industry sectors above. We honored them during the virtual celebration Latineando 2020
COVID-19 RESPONSE
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched new virtual programming, a COVID-19 Resources Guide, and increased our advocacy for economic access and emergency resources for Latino-owned businesses impacted by the crisis.
- We helped over 75 Latino-owned businesses and entrepreneurs apply for federal PPP funding as part of the MA PPP Equitable Access Initiative.
- We partnered with the Foundation for Business Equity, the Boston Foundation, BECMA, CommonWealth Kitchen and Ujima Boston to launch the Business Equity COVID-19 Emergency Fund (BECEF) to provide $1 million in recoverable grants to businesses owned by people of color. Learn More
- We led a statewide small business survey conducted by MassINC Polling Group to identify the impacts of COVID-19. Sixty business service organizations joined us to distribute the survey, which received over 1800 responses. The survey was used to advocate for increased federal and state funding and resources.
DISCOVER LATINX BUSINESSES IN MA
We are thrilled to announce that the beta version of The PowerUp Latinx Business Directory is live. We invite Latinx businesses across the state to join the directory and give us feedback. View our video and sign up for the Business Directory.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR AMPLIFY SPONSORS
