This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Carmen Ramirez, who grew up as the interpreter in her family, was celebrated Tuesday night as one of 2018's 'Women Who Light the Community.' The award was presented at the Oct 23rd Longmont City Council meeting on behalf of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce Women's Leadership Group, for Ramirez's work on 'Resiliencia Para Todos' ('Resiliency For All') in the aftermath of the 2013 Boulder flood.
Ramirez, the Community and Neighborhood Resources Manager for the city of Longmont, drafted 'Resiliencia' in 2015 to identify and address cultural barriers and create bridges between Latino populations, community resources, and local governments.
With the help of a state grant ("they gave me a third of what I was asking for," she said, "and said 'we want you to do it for all of Boulder County,' ") Ramirez set up focus groups in Longmont, Lafayette, and Boulder to identify issues confronting vulnerable groups, primarily Spanish-speaking Latinos, but also seniors, youth, the homeless, and LGBTQ.
Ramirez pointed out the importance of 'cultural brokers,' bilingual Spanish speakers who "live in two worlds," who are at home not only with Latino customs and institutions, but who also know their way around city government and the criminal justice system. These persons range from the informal, say a family interpreter, to the formal, a bilingual school counselor, police officer, or emergency room staffer.
The focus groups were comprised of Spanish-speaking community members, the cultural brokers, and youth. "Our bilingual youth," she added, "could easily tell you what agencies are welcoming and what agencies are not welcoming."
The groups came up with cultural barriers such as a lack of awareness on the part of local government to recognize basic family needs, discrimination and fear, language barriers, cultural insensitivity, and a need for outreach and education. They addressed those concerns with a list of recommendations including attempting to remove stumbling blocks clients face when trying to use city services, embracing word of mouth, getting different agencies to work together, and providing bilingual emergency resources for everyone. Additionally, they advocated financing nonprofits that teach English, recruiting cultural brokers, and instituting a Bi-literacy seal or bilingual pay scales.
Overcoming cultural and language barriers, Ramirez stresses, becomes especially urgent in times of crisis and local disaster, such as the 2013 Boulder flood, and the Sunshine Canyon fire in 2017. Some evacuees needed resource information in Spanish, and "we only had an emergency preparedness guide in one language," Ramirez said.
After working with cultural brokers, the local Office of Emergency Management created a door hanger with English on one side and Spanish on the other that can be posted on a door in a time of emergency. They also modified their website for translation to Spanish, and agreed that knocking on a door and saying "Emergencia/Emergency" would create a quicker safer response for all residents than shouting "Police!"
Ramirez has worked for the city for seventeen years, starting out in the Housing Authority, then as a family resource coordinator in the schools, and doing conflict resolution as a community relations specialist. Her path to her present position "hasn't been a straight shot, but has definitely provided me with a lot of learning opportunities." She said her present job "has become a dream job."
"I think Longmont is a great community," she said, "and I hope we inspire people to step forward and engage, and be a part of the community, because there are so many diverse gifts in our community."
