By: Boston Globe
Author: Tiana Woodard and Vince Dixon
ALX100 2023 honoree José Massó, longtime host of WBUR’s “¡Con Salsa!” radio show, and Roxanna Sarmiento of Amplify LatinX, both spoke with the Boston Globe about new census data which shows that Boston has become even more diverse over the past decade.
“The data show that although Boston has become increasingly diverse, it still struggles to free itself from an outdated, negative image, said Massó, who was a bilingual education teacher 50 years ago during the tumultuous time of the busing crisis.
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The updated figures mean the Latino community can’t be ignored when it comes to major political, business, or social policies, said Roxanna Sarmiento, director of marketing and communications strategy at Amplify LatinX, a Wellesley-based nonprofit focused on Latino community advancement and representation in Massachusetts.
“When a significant portion of our population doesn’t have equitable access to opportunity, it’s going to affect the economy as a whole,” she said.
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As local leaders make sense of the rapidly changing area, having access to numbers like those in the American Community Survey are critical, Sarmiento said. This way, organizations like hers can discern what’s working or not working when it comes to meeting her community’s needs, and pivot where needed.”
