Martha Gonzalez-Cortes

Michigan Nightlight: What does being a leader mean to you? 
Martha Gonzalez-Cortez, Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan: Leadership to me means taking responsibility for the strategies that will move individuals and communities forward. It means transparency, accountability, and ethics in all personal and professional behavior. 
 
Leadership means standing up for social justice issues as they surface and speaking up for those who are unable to speak for themselves regardless of personal threats or fear.

Leadership means standing up for social justice issues as they surface and speaking up for those who are unable to speak for themselves regardless of personal threats or fear.

It also means investing focused energy on the development of leadership in vulnerable communities so that more people are empowered to speak for themselves.
 
What is your dream for kids? 
My dream for kids of all colors and national origin in our community is that we give them an opportunity to be happy, healthy, carefree children for as long as possible with a wide range of dreams within reach for their future adult lives. 
 
What is one concrete thing that could be done to improve the environment for social sector work in Michigan? 
Strengthened cross-sector collaboration, for example nonprofit, school, government, corporate, and faith-based collaboration, as well as the strengthened presence of Anchor Organizations of color in local communities.
 
How do you know you are making progress? 
We know we are making progress when we start to see strengthened communication, joint advocacy, and impact strategies with those emerging partners. So far, the young people from our respective organizations have stepped up to this challenge with enthusiasm; and we have the highest expectations for positive outcomes from their efforts later this year.
 
What are you most proud of?
I’m currently most proud of the historic collaborations the W.K. Foundation has facilitated for us with our Latino counterparts in Detroit and historic organizations of color serving vulnerable families of color in Grand Rapids. 
 
Our dialogue with Detroit’s Latino leadership, in particular, has already led to a historic convening of our Latino youth to organize the first statewide Latino youth conference taking place in Lansing later this year. We have asked the youth on the statewide steering committee to map out a collective Latino youth vision for Michigan and a strategy for collective action to advance that vision. 

What keeps you awake at night? 
Childhood is fleeting and gone in the blink of an eye when young people are forced to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Childhood is fleeting and gone in the blink of an eye when young people are forced to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. 

I’ve always been frightened to look into the eyes of a child that shares a parent’s burden of deep poverty and racial inequity and now has the weary eyes of a tired soul in a small young face. Children that have been impacted by the sins of the world have those haunted, hollow eyes. Those haunted eyes keep me awake at night.