The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce released its third edition of its economic report, revealing some of the big changes that have happened for Latinos in the region over the past two years.
“The Hispanic community here in Sacramento is growing not just in size but in wealth,” said Veronica Delgado Rodriguez, who is a member of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
It unveiled its economic report showing that its biggest area of growth is in Hispanic homeowners, increasing the total owned units by Hispanics by 19,000 since 2019.
“We know that that helps with generational wealth. That helps stabilize neighborhoods, it also shows the commitment of our community to Sacramento,” said President and CEO of the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre. “This is a location they want to be at.”
The CEO said the digital divide is also getting smaller as more Latinos have access to technology.
“I think there’s still more opportunities for access to education,” Rodriguez Aguirre said.
This is one of the areas that the chamber hopes to see bigger improvements in. The study shows that Hispanics make up 70% of the agriculture field, but are significantly underrepresented in other fields like STEM, engineering and life sciences.
Rodriguez Aguirre said they need to help young people discover what fields and programs exist.
“It’s always been a challenge, but it doesn’t matter,” said CEO of D’Primera Mano Magazine Miguel Borges. “We are Mexicans. We are fighters. We are warriors and we work hard for what we want, and we succeed.”
Times have been even more challenging for some in recent months with immigration raids that caused Mexican Independence Day celebrations to majorly scale back, but members of this Hispanic community in Sacramento say they are stronger together and resilient, proud of how far they have come and where they are still going.
The event also included panels and keynote speakers explaining the report findings and solutions.
“Those are the visionaries of our business community who are providing examples and direction on where we’re going to go and how we are going to do it,” Delgado Rodriguez said.
“One of the big things we always say is junto Sacramento: together Sacramento,” Rodriguez Aguirre said.
She hopes that the conversations at the event left people feeling more empowered and equipped for what is next.