Claudia Romo Edelman: The Power of Transformation

Claudia Romo Edelman is a Diplomat, Communication Strategist, Special Adviser for the United Nations and the founder of the We Are All Human Foundation which has the mission to advance an agenda of equity, inclusion and representation.

Born and raised in Mexico she spent more than twenty-five years working in Europe, most of that time in Switzerland. This led her to roles at some of the world’s biggest global organizations, including UNICEF, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations, where she also led communications and advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change. She has also been in the driving seat of some of the most successful global campaigns of the last decade including the launch of the SDGs, Product (RED) and the creation of the SDG Lions among others.

Her desire to elevate the voices of the Latinx community has lead her to create The Hispanic Star, which represents an unparalleled, collective goodwill effort to advance the Hispanic community. Here she narrates how COVID-19 transformed this initiative and how her team went from changing perceptions to saving lives.

In March 2020, after eight months of preparation, we were getting ready to launch a new initiative called Hispanic Star to shift perceptions about Latinos and unify us as a community. A platform that would help us be seen, heard and valued. But COVID-19 arrived fast and furiously, and our communities were affected immediately and disproportionately. Instead of the brand launch we planned, we turned to a Response and Recovery plan, Hispanic Stars in action.

So much was needed right from the start. Nearly a third of all Hispanics are essential workers, doing battle on the frontline every day. From the beginning of the pandemic, Hispanics were 20 times more likely than others to test positive for Covid-19, and less likely to have medical insurance. With so many multi-generational households, older family members lived at greater risk. Hispanics suffered the highest mortality rate of any population.

Health problems meant economic, too. Half of all Hispanic households felt the financial impact of Covid-19. More than others, Hispanics suffered the highest rate of unemployment due to Covid. Many small business owners went out of business. Many Latinas had to reduce their hours or stop working when schools began to close: We had to act.

Almost overnight, with no experience in running relief campaigns and little more than a shoestring to make it happen, the small Hispanic Star staff got up and running. Gears shifted overnight: The hubs we first imagined as centers that would tackle image, perceptions and representation became the heart of relief efforts in more than 30 communities. Soon we had hubs with local community leaders and volunteers set up, ready to deliver critical information, as well as the essential products and PPE so badly needed.

The other critical piece was enlisting more than 20 companies who generously donated more than $7 million dollars of product, among them P&G, PepsiCo, IBM, Flagstar Bank, Salesforce, Shaklee, Unilever and Yum! Brands. Within days, there were 2,000 volunteers on board, community leaders called people into action, spread the good word and worked long days and nights.

The pandemic brought forth many heroes, but for me the true hero was the power of the united community. Against so much tragedy and fear, the communities created hope and showed courage. Every day, there were long lines of cars, people who had never asked for help before, and who were visibly moved by the generosity of others. The spirit of the volunteers was a tonic, uplifting so many.

When we choose to do something together, we shine. After 25 years involved in humanitarian campaigns, I know that one of the hardest, most impossible things to do is emergency relief. But our communities did it. We did it with volunteers. We did it without the benefit of a large group of experts. We did it without massive budgets and long-term plans. We did it without huge funding. It was supposed to last one month and went on for six. So if we could band together with little notice to help 1.5 million Latinos in 400,000 households get through 9 months of this historical, devastating pandemic, I know we can do anything.