Creating opportunities for the Latino community in Sussex County

The Rev. Anastacio Matamoros, Pastor at Iglesia de Dios de la Profecia in Georgetown, provides a lecture to a La Plaza class. 2024, "Creating opportunities for the Latinx community in Sussex County", 30 July, Accessed: https://spotlightdelaware.org/2024/07/30/la-plaza-opportunities/.

It’s been almost 30 years since La Esperanza was founded to address the needs of the increasing number of Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants arriving in southern Delaware. Located in Georgetown, the nonprofit has long helped Hispanic seasonal and permanent immigrants find employment opportunities and housing, navigate residency and citizenship, and access education. “There’s no one that I’ve ever met doing this work at La Esperanza who doesn’t want their kids to do well and have something better than what they have,” said Jennifer Fuqua, La Esperanza executive director. “That’s just what everybody wants.”

As the needs of the Spanish-speaking community change and grow in Sussex County, ensuring everyone in the community has the necessary resources to thrive has become paramount. Language barriers persist, prompting La Esperanza to offer ESL classes online and in-person, along with integrating ESL into citizenship prep and Spanish literacy programs. They’ve also partnered with Sussex County libraries to host ESL classes, one-on-one support, and workshops on resume writing and job applications.

The goal is twofold: to provide services and unite communities. While ongoing barriers to housing and transportation exist, the Latino community is finding more ways to incorporate meaningful work and civic engagement into the fabric of their network, aspects of the Vital Conditions for Health & Well-Being Framework, which is used by Healthy Communities Delaware and supported by the Delaware Bureau of Health Equity as a best-practice to increase equity. Gross domestic product produced by Latinos in the U.S. hit $3.2 trillion in 2021, per research from the Latino Donor Collaborative and Wells Fargo. Delaware mirrors this growth, with nonprofit La Plaza supporting over 300 Latino businesses in Sussex County since 2021 through training, workshops, coaching, and events.

Before such services were available, Latino entrepreneurs in Sussex County might have hesitated to seek resources due to language and cultural barriers, explained La Plaza’s executive director, Mary Dupont. La Plaza aims to change this dynamic by fostering connections, building a unified business community, and encouraging long-time Sussex County residents to welcome newcomers.

La Plaza recently helped Castillos Painting secure its Minority Based Enterprise Certification, said Katy Castillo, a majority owner in the family’s Frankford-based business. This certification will expand opportunities for government contracts, complementing their existing clientele base and word-of-mouth referrals. The camaraderie in the Latino business community in Sussex County and the opportunities emerging there makes Castillo think of the saying, “El sol sale para todos” or, “The sun shines for everybody.”

“Everyone’s more powerful when we’re together,” Castillo said. One example of this is the recent launch of ¡DALE!, the Delaware Alliance of Latino Entrepreneurs, an outgrowth of La Plaza. ¡DALE! president Sergio Morales first connected with La Plaza when seeking assistance to launch his construction company, E&S Morales Brothers. “When you don’t learn how to do business, it’s a big problem, because you can start your business but you would not grow,” Morales said. 

Entrepreneurs from Sussex’s Spanish-speaking communities often encounter difficulties adjusting to the predominantly English-speaking community, as well as understanding business permits and licenses, Morales explained. Classes at Sussex Tech, La Esperanza, and La Plaza guided him through these challenges.

Originally from Guatemala, Morales arrived in Delaware in 1993 at the age of 15. It’s the only place Morales has lived in the U.S., and he likes the beaches and the people. That’s why it’s where he has chosen to build his life, he said. Through ¡DALE! and as a local business owner, he’s hoping to help others do the same. “It’s not easy,” Morales said. “But you have to put a lot of work into whatever you want.”