While Hispanic advocacy groups are rallying to support an exciting lineup of Hispanic candidates, the dream of proportionate representation within our county might still be out of reach due to many obstacles, including some within our community.
Greenacres has shifted from a majority White city to a minority-majority city in which Hispanics form the largest ethnic demographics with 42% of the population. In addition, Hispanics and Blacks combine for 63% of the population in Greenacres, according to the 2020 Census. Yet, the White minority has a stronghold on the city council, with all five members being white. This upcoming election could change that and give minorities in the city a bigger voice in government, but it will be a difficult undertaking for the challengers.
The “enemy within” can best be described as a group of members within the Hispanic community that has used their ethnicity to gain personal political power. For years, these individuals have been the recipients of well-paid government-appointed positions or government contracts that have been set aside for the Hispanic community. They may have developed a cynical type of protective and scarcity mentality, leading them to view other Hispanics as threats. Some feel that when Hispanic candidates challenge incumbents, the enemy within ramps up its efforts to defeat the Hispanics by endorsing and promoting their opponents. What makes these groups very successful in thwarting the growth of Hispanic political power is that they represent themselves as “advocates” of the Hispanic community when their goals are far more self-serving.
This narrative seems to be playing out in Greenacres. While well-qualified candidates like Susy Diaz Piesco bring excitement and optimism to our underrepresented population, special interest groups such as HISPAC are not so thrilled about the prospects of this change in Greenacres or the county. HISPAC appears to be the only organization that represents itself as having ties to the community that is actively opposing Hispanics throughout the county. Who is HISPAC, and why do they appear to be anti-Hispanic candidates?
HISPAC, or Hispanic Political Action Committee, was formed in February 2020 by Samuel “Sam” Roman. It appears that HISPAC is the political incarnation of a small local Hispanic Chamber run by Samuel Roman, Santos Arroyo, and Juan Pagan.
In Greenacres, the actions of HISPAC are bewildering. While all three challengers are candidates of color, HISPAC has endorsed against them all, including against Susy Diaz Piesco. The other two challengers include Nathan Galang, a Hispanic, and Leonard Grant, Jr., an African American. Yet, again, other established and respected Hispanic organizations, such as The Hispanic Vote, The Florida State Hispanic Chamber, and The Latino Coalition of the Palm Beaches, are endorsing the minority challengers.
Are the self-serving interests of the members of HISPAC driving them to be the enemy within our community that disallows the emergence of Hispanic political power in minority-majority cities such as Greenacres? Do the incumbents in Greenacres protect the financial interests or favors acquired over the years by the leading actors of HISPAC? History certainly provides legitimacy to these questions.
The issue is not that HISPAC doesn’t endorse Hispanics. They are free to endorse whomever they please, and not all Hispanic candidates are viable. The problem too many is that they appear to frustrate the growth of real political power within the community by giving the impression that most Hispanic candidates are so ineffective that they fail to gain support from their own community.
For an emerging minority group establishing political power representative of the population is difficult for many complex reasons. Yet, having a seemingly dubious enemy within, such as HISPAC and the various chambers and alliances they have formed that help discredit qualified Hispanic candidates, makes this a nearly insurmountable challenge. If Hispanics are to someday emerge as a powerful political force in Palm Beach County, they will need to root out self-serving groups and work together towards their shared political and economic empowerment.
The antidote to this problem is that we vote. Our Hispanic community can realize the dream of equal representation despite many obstacles, even those within, but to prosper, we must vote. Para Prosperar Hay Que Votar!
