Today, we kick off Latinx Heritage Month with the theme Unidos+. We’re calling it Latinx Heritage month to better represent the diversity of the Latinx community -- a community made up of LGBTQIA+, indigenous, and non-Spanish speaking folks, as well. And this year, we want to highlight and celebrate that intersectionality.
As we begin a month of celebrating such a rich and diverse culture, the sobering reality is that the Latinx community has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Mass deportations, concerns about DACA and immigration are very real for many of our community members, and we know that we must continue to fight against racial injustice.
These patterns of injustice aren’t new. Teresa Miller, VP Controller at Lyft, shared her personal story with Lyft team members about immigrating to the U.S.:
I was born in Uruguay — a small country in South America where cows outnumber people. My family immigrated to the United States in 1980 with the same hopes and dreams as most immigrant families; to create a better life. While my brother and I were ultimately able to achieve that dream, it came at a high cost to my family. It’s important for all of us to recognize how hard it is for immigrants to leave their home countries and leave what they know behind.
I distinctly remember in 1994 when California put Prop 187 on the ballot to establish a state-run citizenship screening system to prohibit undocumented immigrants from gaining access to non-emergency healthcare, public education, and other state services. At the time, I was working part-time at a company where I was told, “all immigrants should go home.” And, I said “But I am an immigrant,” to which I was told, “Oh, no honey you’re different.” I was not different. I am an immigrant and Latinx, but my fair skin exempted me from being categorically an immigrant. Our community is diverse, and made up of people who have often had to overcome great odds to find opportunities and thrive. As we celebrate Latinx Heritage month here at Lyft, I encourage everyone to continue to show empathy, take care of each other, and foster an inclusive environment where every team member can be themselves.
There are a number of ways you can support the Latinx community this month. At Lyft, we’re honored to partner with organizations that promote equity and economic opportunity for the Latinx community, including the following examples:
We recently launched a delivery pilot program with El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank in El Paso, Texas, where Lyft drivers have delivered over 1.4 million meals to homebound seniors since April.
RAICES is one of our primary Round-Up and Donate partners and since July 2019, they have received more than $350,000 in donations.
We’ve partnered with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to provide its members with access to free ride credits for essential trips, including to grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical appointments. LULAC is also one of LyftUp’s 2020 Voting Access partners, distributing ride credit directly to people in their networks whom they identify as most in need of transportation to vote.
We partner with Deaf Latinos y Familias to provide access to rides for the deaf and hard of hearing community to get to ASL education.
We’re sponsoring both the 2020 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference and the 2020 US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce National Conference.