Latino Business Speakers Bureau: Claudia Romo-Edelman
story by: David Gomez
Among the rubble and crumbled buildings, several volunteers took to the streets of Mexico City in late September 1985. Claudia, a young teen among the volunteers was faced with a question that would define her voice and humanity. The question came after she had shouted loudly for the group of volunteers to “STOP!” combing the streets for survivors under the rubble and to return to a place where she heard a voice. The question from the volunteer leading the rescue efforts was a test of her resolve and convictions. It tested her belief in herself and weighed the importance of doing the right thing even if there was a seed of doubt. “Did you THINK you heard a voice or did you HEAR a voice?” was the question. But by that time, it was clear that Claudia had really heard a voice. After what felt like hours, a young girl emerged from behind the crumbled wall that the volunteers managed to remove. That was the first time Claudia felt truly useful. It was also the beginning of her calling to give a voice to people whowere not heard and bring attention to causes that needed support.
Claudia Romo-Edelman is the founder and CEO of the We Are All Human Foundation. The mission of We Are All Human is to advocate for every human to be respected and empowered. One of their values is to be fearless; to speak out against discrimination and no longer allow injustice to hide behind a cover of silence. This value stems from the lesson Claudia learned the day she spoke for that girl trapped behind a fallen wall. Speaking up and being loud could save a life.
Throughout her career, Claudia’s work has produced remarkable outcomes and most of her work has a global focus. Her work provides tools designed to improve lives and personal improvement in over a hundred and ninety nations. Herwork is based on the frame of mind that grand goals such as ending malaria, tobacco consumption, and AIDS, are possible. The caveat is that we must acknowledge our humanity and come together to push towards those goals. One of the most recent campaigns was the launch of the Spanish Star campaign and creating a symbol to represent unity in the Hispanic community. The message is that if we unify behind goals that better our communities and that makes us visible to the world, we can change misconceptions and shine a positive light on who we are and on our value.
Among the greatest lessons that Claudia shares is that as Latinos we need to make a point to be heard. We must speak up and we need to be loud. Just as Claudia understood the value of her voice at a young age walking the streets of Mexico City after the earthquake of ’85, we Latinos must understand the value of our own voices. We must speak up against injustice and promote a positive image of our contributions. A large majority of Hispanics are unaware of the value we add to the American culture and economy. The Hispanic profile in the US is younger than the US average, and we are a large portion of the US GDP. In fact, we would be the world’s eighth economy if we were a stand-alone nation. We must use this knowledge to our advantage and make other Hispanics aware of the value of our communities. We must also look for allies who will help us speak up and encourage us to step up into leadership positions. If a larger percentage of Hispanics were aware of our societal value, we would be a reckoning force globally. Harnessing that force for good has limitless potential for a brighter future.
Claudia’s passion carries a powerful message and a sense of urgency to join in with her efforts to improve the outcomesof our communities. She sees the potential in a unified Hispanic community and can hear a faint voice calling out from the dark. She knows there are stories and lives needing someone to shine a light to not only their needs, but also to the value that they bring to the table. She knows that her voice is more powerful when she inspires others to join and do the same. Her inspiring story is a call to follow her legacy and partake in the work that she is doing for our communities.