CONCLUSIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES

Primary Audience: Business Owners and Residents

What How Where

Community outreach via schools

Family is integral in the Latino community and many residents shared that they chose where to live due to the proximity of schools. The proximity and number of schools in Oak Cliff build a case for schools to be considered as community centers. Furthermore, many interviewees stated on the importance of their children in their lives. Therefore, schools can serve as an outlet for the community

 Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) Comunidad Promesa de la Mission

o Academic Achievement and Family Success

Schools and community colleges Cross-Cultural Associations, Coalitions, or groups

There were mixed responses to the ability to interact with others from different backgrounds. However, issues in the Latino and African-American communities are similar.

 Case Study 1: Causa Justa :: Just Cause

 Suggestion from a resident: create empathy and understanding via community service

Regional and/or local effort

Page | 39  Community events with the help of community

stakeholders from both communities Formal Neighborho- od and/or Business Associations & Informal community support groups

 Community members can apply and locate existing Neighborhood Associations, Homeowner

Associations, and Neighborhood Coalitions in Dallas TX:

http://dallascityhall.com/departments/pnv/Pages/H OANA.aspx

 Informal: Throughout the interviews there were many common issues and similar proposed solutions. Organic informal business and resident associations can be formed – it is just a matter of time. At the discretion of associations, but could be places such as: Community meetings in schools, and restaurants. Community Agency

Alumni school associations can serve as liaisons between the community and the school. These associations can serve as a support system to help address immediate and

potentially long-term needs.

 Student Organization Fair in August: Alumni can raffle money for the participating student

organizations to encourage them to have a table. Furthermore, alumni can provide current students the opportunity to earn community service hours by giving tours to the incoming ninth graders.

o Overall these associations, including neighborhood associations, can serve as outlets to connect with the community. Although not explicitly listed, mission-driven non-profits should also be viewed as an area of opportunity to promote equity.

Alma mater school, feeder schools, and community centers (formal and informal).

Section I. Inform & Engage

Primary Audience: City of Dallas, Planners, Developers, and other mission-driven entities.

Conventional community engagement practices for public participation are not

appropriate for all communities. For example, charrettes and town hall public meetings foster an environment where the most vocal are the likeliest to be heard (Vasquez, 2007). Planners, and other professionals, working with communities should have a keen awareness of how their title may intimidate others. As shared on the Latinos and Planning Division Newsletter by Vasquez (2007), "For many Latinos, culture discourages from questioning people in positions of

Page | 40 authority." Therefore, community engagement practices need to be customized for authentic community engagement and outreach.

Professionals must understand the community prior to interpreting what they observe. Therefore, professionals should begin with questions that can lead to meaningful conversations rather than prescribing needs based on their observations (Green, Moore, & O'Brien, 2011). An authentic understanding entails honest conversations with community stakeholders such as but not limited to: business owners, residents, members from the church, and educational

institutions. As shared during the interviews, the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies can hinder Latino participation. Unquestionably, the fear prevalent in the lives of community members must be acknowledged. In some places such as Oak Cliff, race, racial tensions, and history must be accounted for prior to engaging in other conversations. Green et al., (2006) shares that mobilizing others to act can stem from questions that reveal what people care about, how they perceive a situation, and what they want to offer. However, I would add that this technique can help professionals understand what values are at stake in the community and what they can do to enhance existing assets.

Singleton (2015) highlights four agreements for interracial dialogue about race: stay engaged, experience discomfort, speak your truth, and expect and accept non-closure. Remaining engaged in difficult conversations enable people to be morally, emotionally, intellectually, and relationally involved in the dialogue (Singleton, 2015). Misconceptions and half-truths are fostered by not speaking their truth, such as opinions, thus leading to confusion, mistrust, and misunderstanding (Singleton, 2015). Unfortunately, remaining silent can be interpreted as a form of agreement. Simultaneously, authentic dialogues are uncomfortable, but these conversations allow for individuals to reflect on their core racial beliefs, values, perceptions, and behaviors (Singleton, 2015). Lastly, expecting and accepting non-closure, recognizes the complex racial struggles and the need of ongoing dialogue on racial issues (Singleton, 2015). These four techniques are important to have within an agency/department and when interacting with communities. Planners, such as James Rojas, have acknowledged the importance of authentic conversations and has implemented it in his community engagement techniques.

Page | 41 The "where" is equally important as the "how" in community engagement and outreach. Community events should be in the community and in neutral spaces such as: laundromats, grocery stores, libraries, schools, and community centers. In Oak Cliff, this is important because people may not have the time to attend public meetings because they are balancing multiple jobs or other household priorities. However, this is not to dismiss the importance of public meetings but argue for additional community engagements. Following are a mixture of case studies and general suggestions to engage and inform the Latino community in Oak Cliff.

Community Outreach and Engagement

Why: Throughout my interviews it became evident that individuals wanted to share their testimonies, but conventional community engagement practices may not accommodate their lifestyle nor be culturally appropriate. Rojas (2016) best explains it as, "When participants bring their life experiences into an open community planning process, they enjoy a greater sense of empowerment about civic participation."

Case Study: PLACE IT!

James Rojas (2016) provides a series of advice on how to involve and facilitate safe spaces for immigrants. He highlights on the importance of validating their lived experiences by: sharing who they are, where they come from, and what they value (Rojas, 2016). Furthermore, Rojas (2016) notes that effective engagement strategies embrace respect for difference. He provides two steps: connecting through storytelling and collaboration (Rojas, 2016). Overall these meetings are collaborative experiences that enable the room to understand everyone's needs and values (Rojas, 2016). Although not every design created at these events can be replicated, it can inform others about how space fosters a sense of belonging (Rojas, 2016).

Step #1 Connecting Through Storytelling

The discussion begins by allowing participants to reflect on a childhood place that mattered to them. They use toys and craft supplies to bring these places to life and assist them during storytelling (Rojas, 2016). The activity is noteworthy for various reasons: it fosters empathy, enables participants to investigate details of place, and in a non-threatening way documents how race, gender, and class impact aspects of place now as adults (Rojas, 2016).

Page | 42 This first part wraps up by identifying three prevalent words or themes from the discussion (Rojas, 2016).

Step #2 Collaboration

Next, as a team, they use the same materials from step one to create a place. In order to foster agency during the planning process, the teams are not given an assignment. This second activity becomes a collaborative process as people compromise and negotiate ideas to arrive at their final product. The team's proposed solution captures their understanding of the built environment as well as social and cultural patterns (Rojas, 2016). To wrap-up the workshop, people are asked to reflect on the themes from the second and first part of the session.

For more information please visit: http://placeit.org/ Additional Recommendations

Grocery stores, laundromats, libraries, schools, and popular business corridors can serve as venues for community outreach and engagement efforts. For example, professionals can inquire about having a routinely table inside a grocery store in order to build trust with the community. Routine involvement can build trust for authentic conversations. If the intent is to listen to the community, these efforts will naturally become an outlet for the community. Success of these tabling events is correlated with the ability to communicate in English and Spanish. Outreach efforts should be interactive and catch people's attention. Simultaneously, the same approach can be achieved in laundromats.

Conceptually, celebrations and public meetings have similar outcomes, they bring people together. Therefore, another recommendation is to blend the two. Community events should incorporate agency from the community during the creation and implementation of these events. Those I interviewed highlighted the importance of family and the interest of connecting with others in Oak Cliff. Therefore, community engagement should be revamped to foster unity, pride, and empathy. Events should inform the community on the

services/resources available for them. The exchange of information should be from both ends, from professionals and community members. During the interviews with residents, various ideas were shared on the type of community events they want to see such as ice cream socials

Page | 43 and block parties. Overall community socials should be fun, informal, and foster a safe

environment with food and music. The purpose is to inform and engage the community.

Ideally business owners could benefit from the previous community outreach efforts mentioned. However, business owners may not live in the Oak Cliff area or have the time to partake in community engagement efforts. Therefore, direct community outreach is important for equitable representation from those unable to share their opinion at community events. Creativity again, should dictate how to engage with the business community. Interviews can be held at their business during an appropriate time when business is slow or be done on the phone. A common limitation of these efforts could be the limited time for these outreach efforts, but equitable representation entails informing and engaging. Furthermore, surveys can serve as venues for conversation. However, the element to humanize online surveys is by going to the business community and informing them why their opinion is important. People are receptive to authenticity and will make time to share their opinion if they understand the why.

On the other hand, there should be no expectation that people are aware of the rules related to urban planning. For example, asking people to create solutions without

understanding the problem is not appropriate. Therefore, a curriculum should be developed in English and Spanish for children/youth and adults. The curriculum can take various forms and can focus on a wide-array of topics. One example, would be creating interactive learning sessions of zoning tools pertinent in Dallas. Furthermore, there should be campaigns informing people’s tenant rights as renters and homeowners.

A strong presence of online communication can help inform and address issues related to the community. However, online materials should be in English and Spanish. Videos with English subtitles, or vice-versa, can be created to foster inclusion. Another information shared by business owners was the need to help promote their business or business corridors. One business owner suggested for the City of Dallas to routinely promote Oak Cliff’s minority owned businesses across Dallas.

Non-conventional community outreach efforts to learn about the experiences of business owners and residents from Oak Cliff is needed. These efforts should be culturally

Page | 44 appropriate in the manner how and where they are done. Both residents and business owners would like to share their opinions and give recommendations, but it is just a matter of how to best capture their voice. There is no set formula but instead a variety of approaches to foster equitable representation of opinions.

Section II. Build & Enhance

Primary Audience: City of Dallas, Non-Profits, Foundations and other mission-driven entities.

In comparison to the general population, Latinos are more likely to be entrepreneurs as noted by the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC, 2017). A high number of Hispanic entrepreneurs are immigrants, and therefore these business owners must deal with challenging hurdles (JEC, 2016). For example, many of the Latino business owners lack access to capital due to limited credit histories or language skills. Unfortunately, even U.S. born Hispanics face lack of access to credit and business contacts due to low educational levels. Access to opportunity for Latinos is important as it enables communities and the country to thrive as a whole. For example, Hispanic entrepreneurs were key during the recession. Although

entrepreneurship rates for non-Hispanics dropped during the recent recession, the number of Hispanic entrepreneurs did not and their presence helped improve the country’s

unemployment numbers (Dávila, Mora & Zeitlin, 2014).

The creation and prevalence of Latino firms is an asset for the U.S. economy. In 2016 the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship, a Stanford University research initiative, surveyed 4,900 business owners. Nearly 60 percent of those firms were located in California, Texas, Florida and New York (Rivers, Porras, Ott & Pompa, 2016). However, surprisingly around 75 percent of Latino firms where in non-Latino neighborhoods (Rivers et al., 2016). The study also found that most firms noted more than half of their clients and employees as non-Latinos (Rivers et al., 2016). If growth trends of Latino firms emulated sales revenue of that of non-Latino businesses, the country could see an increase of 1.4 trillion dollars (Rivers et al., 2016). Ultimately, the Latino business owner has a positive effect on the U.S. economy via job and revenue creation.

In Oak Cliff Latino entrepreneurs are prevalent but each will use unique techniques to set themselves apart. During my interviews, for both business owners and residents, people’s

Page | 45 values and traditions surfaced as a determining factor for many of their decisions. However, also included were a series of limitations as business owners and residents. Therefore, Part II will attempt to address these findings.

Community Resources

Why: Throughout my interviews there was a common sentiment on lack of information. Both residents and business owners requested a central place where they may have access to general assistance and education. Business owners and residents expressed interest in uniting amongst themselves as well.

Case Study: El Centro Hispano

Mission: "El Centro Hispano works to strengthen the community, build bridges and advocate for equity and inclusion for Hispanics/Latinos in the Triangle Area of North Carolina."

El Centro Hispano had humbling beginnings, it originated from a small program in a basement of a church in Durham, North Carolina. Since 1992 they have expanded their services in Durham and Carrboro-Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Collectively among their four focus areas – support services, education, health and community organizing – they have a wide-array of programs to address the community's needs (Table 2). Furthermore, El Centro Hispano's mission is adaptive to the emerging concerns of the Latino community. For example, El Centro Hispano organized a FaithAction ID card drive at a Catholic Church to address the community’s concerns and fears. Additionally, they invited the Hillsborough Police Chief, where he was able to share the following words, "There are some who want to you to be afraid. There are some who want you to leave, so they want you to be afraid...You should not have to live in fear."

Table 2: El Centro Hispano Services and Resources

Support Services Direct support and emergency services, employment advice,

legal services, tax services, domestic and sexual violence prevention, and cultural development.

Education Basic literacy, elementary and secondary education for

adults, English as a Second Language, tutoring, child enrichment, youth development, and parenting support. Health Education and

Prevention

Diabetes, nutrition, stroke, breast cancer, and HIV education, LGTBQ support group, and liaison with the public health

Page | 46

Community Organizing Youth and community leadership development, advocacy and

coalition building, soccer academy, civic engagement, neighborhood organizing and outreach.

For more information please visit: https://www.elcentronc.org/

Financial Resources

Credit Unions

Why: Throughout my interviews hardships were attributed to lack of access to financial capital and education.

Case Study: Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU)

Mission: "Promote financial literacy, affordable housing, and economic development for low- income Latino and other immigrant communities in North Carolina."

Partners: Charter funding members of other credit unions across the country, local and national foundations, and investments from institutions.

The Latino Community Credit Union was funded in 2000 as a response to the robberies and mugging of Latinos in Durham, North Carolina. This grassroot effort was made possible due to the contributions of the Support Center, El Centro Hispano, NC State Employees’ Credit Union, and Self-Help Credit Union. In 2002 the Latino Community Development Center (Latino CDC) was established as a nonprofit to address the financial literacy gap among Latinos. Their Spanish and English classes are free and culturally appropriate for their members. Although the Latino Community Credit Union was initially created to address issues prevalent in the Latino community, their services are available to anyone regardless of their race and ethnicity. For example, a refugee from Sudan was able to receive guidance in understanding how to manage his finances. He was able to purchase a car and is now a proud cab driver. Today there are twelve LCCU branches across North Carolina.

LCCU members, regardless of their citizenship status, have access to saving accounts, checking accounts, loans and credit, and financial guidance. Undocumented immigrants can use their ITIN to access loans via the LCCU. In a video shared on their website, LCCU saw a

Page | 47 reflected on their interest rates for deposits, loans, and mortgages. Other services they provide are Dreamer Loans with a six-month loan term with no proof of income required. However, approval of the Dreamer loan is subject to credit history.

The LCCU also takes pride in their efforts to engage, inform, and teach the Latino

community on how to manage their finances (Table 3). They offer free financial workshops

twice a year in all branches. Their workshops cover a wide array of topics such as: budgeting 101, how to build and use credit, how to buy a car, how to prepare to buy a home and how to invest in education and retirement. All materials used in workshops are available online. Additionally, those who attend all five sessions receive a certificate of completion at a graduation ceremony. The LCCU also assists organizations interested in replicating these courses, they have developed a toolkit with all necessary materials. Furthermore, educational videos in Spanish with English subtitles are available on their website.