Centro Hispano Executive Director Karen Menéndez Coller is hoping to build a sense of trust, dispel myths and bring the immigrant community together at the upcoming Live Community Forum on Immigrant/Refugee Issues with La Movida Spanish-language radio station on Thursday, July 6, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Centro Hispano, 810 W Badger Rd.
“I know that some of this stuff has been done in the past, but the goal is to really try and dig deeper and try to come up with some recommendations that can actually stick and be implemented at the end of the year,” Menéndez Coller tells Madison365. “Just right now, we’re also holding it just to reassure the community, to be honest.”
The Law Enforcement and Leaders of Color Collaboration (LELCC), which is led by NAACP and United Way of Dane County, recently formed the Immigration and Refugee Task Force, are organizing several panels, community engagement sessions, and open mics at various public spaces around Dane County this summer. The Live Community Forum on Immigrant/Refugee Issues with La Movida will be the first.
La Movida will be set up at Centro Hispano with a round table with mics and will be broadcasting on Facebook Live.
“La Movida will be broadcasting live a like when we do the Radiothon [at the Multicultural Center]. We’ll be using the same technology and we’ll be looking forward to taking phone calls,” says La Movida co-owner Luis Montoto.
“Having this broadcast live from Centro Hispano will give listeners a chance to ask important questions,” adds La Movida co-owner Lupita Montoto. “What’s very nice is that people will be able to stop by in person and ask questions. This will be a wonderful thing for the community and we’re very excited to be there and broadcasting live.
“This is a great opportunity for us to build trust,” she adds.
“It’s so important to be able to talk openly about these issues, especially nowadays with all of these new laws that are coming up at the federal level,” Luis Montoto says. “I think it’s so important to keep our community informed on what is going on with that and what is going on in Milwaukee County and what’s going on in Dane County and make sure that our community here in Madison know that we aren’t going through the same transition that Milwaukee County is with their Sheriff David Clarke over there.”
Due to the rhetoric and actions of the Trump administrations, it’s a bad climate for immigrants and refugees right now.
“Somebody asked me if our services have declined here at Centro because for their own group people were feeling fearful about reaching out. If anything, I feel like more people are coming to Centro for the general support piece and for immigration help. It’s been interesting,” says Menéndez Coller, who is co-chairing the task force with Chief Deputy Jeff Hook of the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. “At the end of the year, there was a lot of uncertainty but then at the start of the year it seemed like there was a lot of sadness … but now I’m sensing and seeing more resiliency.”
The Montotos are also uniquely in tune with the Latino community in Madison with their 24/7 Spanish-language radio station, their Spanish-language newspaper Voz Latina, and the numerous events that they host around town for the Latino community.
“The Latino community is pretty much accustomed to the hostile environment from Trump, and unfortunately, I have to say the Republican Party, too,” Luis Montoto says. “More than anything, I have to say that the Latino community, the immigrant community and the refugee community is so used to the hostile environment and all of the rhetoric that we’re getting ready to know what our rights are and what the rights of our community are and what they can do in case if something does happen … if they get pulled over, if they get arrested.
“There’s so many things going on around this issue right now and it’s like with every single piece of it we’re just trying to surround the community and let them know that everybody is on board and everybody has got your back, including law enforcement,” he adds. “Given the climate, it’s important to have them on board.”
Invited guests for the Live Community Forum on Immigrant/Refugee Issues with La Movida will include Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval, Middleton Police Chief Chuck Foulke, and Fitchburg Deputy Chief Don C. Bates.
“Having them all here together at one event is important and it gives the community, in general, more control, more confidence, and more relief on all of these issues that are happening nationwide on immigration,” Lupita Montoto says.
Menendez Coller says it’s the idea of blurring the lines and really creating transparency.
“People will be able to ask questions that the chiefs and the sheriff can answer right there,” Menendez Coller says. “I think it’s important that this becomes a consistent thing. My hope is that this will make people feel safer here in the community and in Dane County. We’re starting out with this one, but our goal is to really get out throughout the county to McFarland, Marshall, Mt. Horeb and other places where these conversations didn’t happen before and just try to reassure people.”
Menéndez Coller stresses that the Live Community Forum on Immigrant/Refugee Issues will be a safe and supportive environment, but if people would rather call in and ask questions, that is fine, too.
“They can come in or they can listen to the radio. That was really intentional to give people the opportunity to call who maybe didn’t feel comfortable coming in and talking about their experiences with law enforcement or being a refugee here,” Menéndez Coller says. “People can come in still, but we’re also going to take advantage of the two-hour block with La Movida and making sure people know they can call in.”
As part to the task force’s initiative, Menéndez Coller says that the community can expect more opportunities like this in the future to come together to voice concerns. The next meeting will be at the Multicultural Center on July 19.
Come share your experiences, get answers to questions and share concerns at the Q&A session hosted by La Movida Public Radio on Thursday, July 6, 9 to 11 a.m. at Centro Hispano (810 W Badger Rd. in Madison). Call in to ask questions at 608-321-1480 or join on Facebook Live: www.lamovidaradio.com
