With Liberty and Equity for All
It was the 1960’s. Woodstock and a moon walk were still a year away.
But one local organization was focused on equity (rather, lack of it) for some Puerto Rican tenants in a fledgling little neighborhood in Boston’s South End. Now more than 50 years later, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA) still ensures that equity (fairness that all people, regardless of race, ethnicity or financial need, should have equal access to opportunity) is the foundation of all the work they do.
In this month’s Q&A, we sat down with IBA’s CEO, Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, to talk more about equity, the vitality of Latino arts, the long-term effects of financial empowerment, and more.
Vanessa, thanks for speaking with us today. Equity covers a lot of bases. How would you define equity as it relates to IBA’s mission?
Vanessa, thanks for speaking with us today. Equity covers a lot of bases. How would you define equity as it relates to IBA’s mission?
We want to help families experience greater equity—having the resources and supports to succeed—through opportunities. Our main core of business is housing equity, the preservation and development of affordable housing in the city of Boston. This mission goes back to 1968 with the prevention of displaced residents of “Parcel 19” and the eventual development of our Villa Victoria in the South End.
IBA’s “theory of change” is that we can help a family achieve greater equity (upward social and economic mobility) by increasing access, grounded in a culturally-responsive way.
So in what ways is IBA doing this for your community?
We want to involve our community in civic engagement leadership. This helps promote equity. So in addition to providing IBA’s core housing, we help with opportunities in educational and youth programs, health and well-being, financial empowerment, and Latino arts and culture.
You mentioned arts and culture. Can that really help with equity?
Yes! For the arts programs, our goal is celebrating and promoting Latino arts and artists. We are successfully using the arts as a community-building tool. To help people celebrate their heritage, to feel a sense of community when you come to one of our music festivals or art programs. Arts and cultural programs help engage people and bring a social message, especially for young people. The arts can serve as a great driver for equity and social change.
What are some of the challenges to attaining equity, getting to where you want to be?
One of the main equity barriers we see is institutionally-entrenched policies. Policies that for decades have blocked access and opportunities for low-income families. Since these policies have been established, it’s harder to break away and really close the wealth gap, to bring equity on wealth building, housing, and neighborhood integration. While a lot of progress has been made since then, we still have to do so much catch-up. The same often goes for health care and access to health services, education, school segregation: all these policies we have been dealing with for so many years have been a huge obstacle for families to access opportunities and the kind of networks and resources that are needed to succeed.
For example, housing, since that’s the core of our work. Given the housing crisis that we’re experiencing in the Greater Boston area, we look historically at policies that have been institutionalized since the mid-1900’s; these federal policies excluded, in particular, African Americans from access to home mortgages. But home mortgages can help with asset building, building wealth, getting out of poverty, and the integration of neighborhoods.
How has United Way helped IBA in its equity mission?
Our strategic partnership with United Way has led to some great work, providing youth in South Boston with high quality learning experiences that will prepare them for success in college, career, and life. IBA also works with United Way on Boston Builds Credit, offering financial coaching and financial empowerment workshops on a variety of topics. We’ve piloted innovative credit building programs, including an upcoming youth credit-building program we hope to launch in the fall with Boston-based community colleges.
Wow, that credit-building pilot sounds interesting…
Wow, that credit-building pilot sounds interesting…
We’re very excited about this opportunity with the United Way, the Mayor’s Office, and community colleges. It’s part of the work that IBA has been doing for years—to help people build assets and wealth. This pilot is based on a study that was done here in Boston showing that young adults (18-24) significantly improved their credit scores when they had access to credit-building education and one-on-one financial coaching.
Credit issues like student loan debt or high-interest credit cards, could put a young person down a really bad path for their financial future. Our pilot program could help thwart this at the right time: prime time for a young adult who is just starting out in life.
Plus, this pilot can be grown to include other communities and other non-profits. By providing these resources, this pilot program will help young people experience greater equity.
For someone who’s reading this, trying to get out of a financial hole, or find housing, or wants to achieve more for their family—what “equity” guidance can you offer?
It’s very hard, it’s not intuitive. Who wants to talk about their personal financial issues? These are difficult conversations to bring forth. The best step is to really look at trusted community organizations that do this work in terms of financial coaching and financial empowerment. They’ll work with you, looking at your situation to start guiding you.
Because when people are in financial desperation, they may make even worse choices in picking financial products that aren’t the best for them. The best thing to do is to educate yourself. Be honest with yourself. “How can I build my credit? How can I set myself up for a successful financial future?” Sometimes you can do better on your own, but sometimes you need a little bit of support. People can feel ashamed, embarrassed. You are not alone. There are resources out there—like IBA—to help support you through it all.
