[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15826-15829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1900
                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Soto) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, it is Hispanic Heritage Month, and I want to 
take this time to honor some great heroes in my district of Hispanic 
descent, who range from reporters to civil rights heroes, to community 
organizers, to businessmen and women, and I am just proud to be here 
tonight to be able to do that.


                        Honoring Daniel Barajas

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, the first gentleman I want to talk about is 
Daniel Barajas, the executive director of the Young American Dreamers.
  Daniel Barajas was born in Winter Haven, Florida, to a family of 
migrant workers. Growing up, he worked in the orange groves of Florida. 
There, he witnessed firsthand how farmworkers were exposed to dangerous 
pesticides while working for poverty wages. He also learned about the 
long-term effects of failed immigration policies, seeing his own father 
be deported during a local operation.
  As a teenager, Daniel saw his friends join gangs to survive poverty 
and defend themselves against deeply rooted racism within their 
communities. He joined this path but was dubbed ``Lucky'' because he 
survived.
  Barajas dropped out of school in the ninth grade but earned his GED 
in 2001. During an incarceration in 2009, he noticed that inmates had 
no access to books or to reading glasses. It was then that Daniel 
founded the Library of Hope to collect books and reading glasses to 
donate to inmates.
  Daniel's younger sister, Maria Isabel, founded the Young American 
Dreamers, YAD, in 2010 to help local immigrant youth. Maria Isabel 
passed away in a car accident, tragically, in 2012, and to honor her 
legacy, Daniel joined YAD and was voted executive director in 2013.
  Barajas also continues to fundraise for annual scholarships to local 
students and participates in philanthropic events in the community.
  Daniel now speaks at high schools across Polk County, talks to 
students about his life, and shows them that one is not defined by 
their past, and that breaking down barriers is possible.
  He also closely works with the Polk County Supervisor of Elections 
Office to help register voters, increase voter turnout, and distribute 
clemency applications to help felons restore their civil rights.
  Daniel is an example of one who could turn their life around and 
benefit the community as a whole, and he works with the Mexican 
Consulate in Orlando to do community workshops to teach immigrant 
families of their constitutional rights.
  Thank you, Daniel, for your contributions.


                      Honoring Ericka Gomez-Tejeda

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next is Ericka Gomez-Tejeda with Vamos4PR, 
Florida chapter. She is the civic engagement coordinator at 32BJ SEIU.
  Ericka Gomez-Tejeda came from Colombia to the United States with her 
mom when she was 8 years old. Moved by her lifelong commitment to her 
birth country, Ericka moved to Medellin, Colombia, in 2009 and began a 
master's in theology.
  Upon her return to the U.S. 2 years later, she moved to Florida and 
was elected vice president of SEIU Local 1199 United Health Care 
Workers East for the Florida nursing home division, representing 11,000 
nursing home workers in the State.
  In 2014, under the leadership of 32BJ President Hector Figueroa, 
Ericka returned to the Local 32BJ as deputy director of the 12,000-
member New York City security division, leading the field of operation 
for the division's first citywide contracts.
  In 2016, Ericka moved back to Florida and became the 32BJ civic 
engagement coordinator and organizer of Vamos4PR, Florida division. 
With 40 percent of the Orange County Public Schools community speaking 
primarily Spanish, Vamos4PR parents, teachers, students, and 
organizations successfully worked with the Orange County Public Schools 
to ensure English-learning parents get information, orientations, and 
translation.
  The coalition is currently focusing on offering immediate lifesaving 
resources to Puerto Rico and the cancellation of crippling debt, while 
working locally to open doors for the newly arrived Puerto Ricans to 
our region so they can use their knowledge and skills to integrate and 
contribute to the local economy and society from the day they arrive.


                        Honoring Esteban Garces

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to highlight Esteban Garces, 
Florida State director of Mi Familia Vota.
  Esteban directs the Florida operation of Mi Familia Vota, managing 
strategy, operations, local policy development, campaigns, civic 
engagement, organizing efforts, and nonpartisan electoral work.
  Esteban's career was set in motion at an early age as a victim of 
landlord abuse. Continued exposure to immigration, education, and 
racial injustices spurred his interest in social justice. He began his 
career in social justice organizing, and then electoral organizing.
  He joined Mi Familia Vota in 2015 to continue working to create 
positive change. He was previously the immigration campaign director 
for SEIU Local 615.


                          Honoring Frank Lopez

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Frank Lopez of the 
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida.
  Frank Lopez is the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of 
Metro Orlando. Lopez is passionate about what he does, and nothing is 
more fulfilling to him than being part of a team with similar interests 
of an organization that is philanthropic and mission driven, and that 
values and pays tribute to those communities he serves.
  Lopez has been successful in creating substantive underwriting 
support to develop and sustain innovative youth learning and 
entrepreneurship services. These programs have produced an impressive 
array of community-building benefits, such as workforce readiness and 
leadership development, youth entrepreneurship experimental training 
camps, mentoring and coaching programs, community-based technology, and 
wealth-building programs.
  Lopez served as a member of the U.S. Hispanic Council on Federal 
Employment that advises the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel 
Management on strategies for improving access of Latinos to the Federal 
workforce.
  Lopez has also served as a founding member of the National Hispanic 
Outreach Advisory Council, established by Intuit Corporation, focusing 
on diversity and inclusion, and expanding penetration of equitable tax 
filing practices within growing Latino communities across the country.
  Lopez is also a former president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber 
of Commerce Foundation, developing

[[Page 15827]]

strategic services to Latino entrepreneurs from across the Nation.
  Throughout his career, Frank has served several philanthropic and 
social service governing boards, most recently with SourceAmerica, an 
organization created by Congress that manages over $2.5 billion in 
Federal employment-producing contracts administered locally by 
affiliated nonprofit agencies across the United States and Puerto Rico.


                         Honoring Ingrid Morfa

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Ingrid Morfa, 
immigrant, attorney, and activist, a leader in immigration law in 
central Florida.
  Ingrid Morfa is an attorney and first-generation American. Her 
parents migrated from the Dominican Republic in the 1970s.
  As a mother of four, she is a firm believer that educating our 
community and helping those in need will make the United States a 
better place for her children and grandchildren for years to come.
  Her studies at Harvard University, Barry University School of Law, 
Cambridge College in the U.K., Kaplan University, and the New York City 
of Technology College have equipped Ingrid Morfa to help those around 
her.
  As a member of the National Caribbean Leadership Team and the 
Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida, an advocate for domestic 
violence prevention with Nuevo Sendero, and an attorney who assisted 
more than 2,000 naturalization applicants and dozens of green card 
applicants who are victims of domestic violence and crime at no cost, 
she has shown a devotion to the community that is only surpassed by her 
love that she has for her family.


                         Honoring Jimmy Torres

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Jimmy Torres, 
community organizer and activist, and also a major member of the SEIU 
union.
  Jimmy Torres Velez grew up in Puerto Rico, where he went to public 
school. After he finished his bachelor's degree in labor relations at 
the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, he went to work with 
migrant families in southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
  Since then, he has worked for various unions in many States and in 
Puerto Rico. In those years he has held various positions, including 
trustee, secretary-treasurer, organizing director, and AFL-CIO State 
director.
  As part of his work, he has created and developed relationships with 
various Puerto Rican communities. After years organizing public and 
private sector employees, Jimmy organized and managed the State 
legislative office for SEIU in Puerto Rico and cooperated with the 
establishment of the legislative coordinating body for the AARP as 
well.
  After moving to Florida to help with retired members of the Service 
Employees International Union, he became an activist of the Puerto 
Rican community and Latino community overall.
  To improve the Latino representation in our area, he organized and 
coordinated the Boricua Vota movement. This movement is a nonpartisan 
educational and mobilization tool to improve activism and civic 
engagement and participation of Puerto Ricans in the political process. 
Jimmy also organized and became president of the Puerto Rico Action 
Initiative.
  To respond to Hurricane Irma, Jimmy has helped to organize a 
coordinated group called Aid, Support, and Help Coordinating Group, 
otherwise known as CASA. When Maria devastated the island, CASA 
galvanized enthusiasm and desire of the Puerto Rican community in 
central Florida to help their fellow compatriots--my fellow 
compatriots--on the island and has collected and has sent hundreds of 
thousands of dollars in goods and merchandise to Puerto Rico.


                         Honoring Jorge Estevez

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Jorge Estevez, WFTV 
news anchor and journalist in Orlando.
  Jorge Estevez is an anchor for the evening newscast of Eyewitness 
News at 10 p.m. on WRDQ TV 27. He also anchors and reports newscasts on 
WFTV Channel 9.
  Jorge first came to WFTV in 2001 and covered the attacks of 9/11 and 
how they impacted central Florida's tourism industry.
  During the next 5 years as an anchor and reporter for WFTV and WRDQ, 
Jorge worked on major news affecting the various counties that make up 
our central Florida community. Jorge anchored several major local 
stories, including the severe hurricane season of 2004, during which 
several storms impacted the Orlando area.
  Since his return to central Florida, Jorge has been sent to cover 
major stories. His most recent trip was to Atlanta, where he 
interviewed Ronny Ahmed, one of three students injured when a shooter 
stormed the campus of Florida State University in 2014 and started 
firing at random.
  The son of Cuban immigrants, Jorge is from West New York, New Jersey, 
where he graduated from Rutgers University, like myself, with a dual 
degree in journalism and communication. Now he is glad to be back in 
central Florida, where he enjoys the change of seasons each year. He 
enjoys the warm weather because it gives him a chance to leave the gym 
to take his 5-mile runs outdoors, where he can really break a sweat.
  Thank you, Jorge, for your contributions.


                   Honoring Josephine Balzac, Esquire

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Josephine Balzac, 
Esquire, attorney, writer, and professor at Rollins College, 
specializing in environmental law.
  Josephine M. Balzac is currently a visiting assistant professor in 
the Department of Business, teaching in the social entrepreneurship 
major. She has had the honor of being part of Rollins College since 
2014.
  Her greatest honor is receiving two teaching awards from the 
students: a student government association's Outstanding Faculty Award, 
and the Walter E. Barden Distinguished Teaching Award. Throughout each 
of her classes, she makes sure to engage with the local community by 
bringing her legal professionals and organizations as guest speakers.
  Professor Balzac is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in 
Florida and the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida.
  In May of 2017, the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, 
FAMU, College of Law presented her law office with the Distinguished 
Alumni Award and Professional Excellence Award, Solo Practitioner.
  She is also a community rights staff attorney for the Center for 
Earth Jurisprudence.
  During the summer, she is an adjunct law professor at Barry 
University School of Law, teaching sustainability in business.
  Professor Balzac previously worked as an associate attorney at an AV-
rated trial litigation firm and worked for a food safety regulatory 
consulting group.
  Ms. Balzac is actively involved in the local community, frequently 
educating and advocating as an avid speaker on environmental justice, 
sustainable development, climate change, human rights, food, and social 
justice issues.
  Thank you, Josephine, for your contributions.


                         Honoring Luis Pastrana

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Luis Pastrana, 
attorney, activist, and professional at Ana G. Mendez University.
  Luis Pastrana was born in Puerto Rico. He received his bachelor's 
degree in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico, 
Rio Piedras Campus, while simultaneously being commissioned from the 
Army ROTC as a second lieutenant in the artillery branch.
  He taught at the Puerto Rico Junior College of Dona Ana G. Mendez, 
and many years later came full circle and is now a distinguished 
professor at the Orlando campus of the Ana G. Mendez University system.

                              {time}  1915

  Luis served in the Army for 20 years. He was with the Vietnamese 
irregular forces as an adviser for 2 years in the mountains of Vietnam, 
as well as an adviser to the Spanish Army for a couple of years in 
Spain and in many other

[[Page 15828]]

parts of the globe. After retirement, he began to pursue law at the 
University of Puerto Rico.
  He has worked in banking as vice president for investments of the 
Cooperative Bank, as a general manager for a newspaper in San Juan; he 
was a candidate for Mayor of Guaynabo, director of finances for the 
Popular Democratic Party, trial attorney and senior partner of the law 
firm Pastrana, Perez, Martinez and Quevedo, executive director of the 
Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration for the Southeast of the 
United States, and now professor of law of the bachelor's degree in 
criminal justice for the Orlando campus of the Ana G. Mendez 
University. He published five books, all honoring his Puerto Rican 
roots.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Luis for his contributions.


                         Honoring Nancy Alvarez

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Nancy Alvarez. 
Nancy was part of the first Hispanic anchor team on an English language 
TV station in central Florida. Along with Jorge Estevez, her coanchor, 
she brought the 10 o'clock news on Channel 27 TV to number one for the 
first time in more than 10 years.
  Alvarez joined the team at the ABC affiliate in May 2010 and 
currently coanchors Eyewitness News This Morning, alongside Jamie 
Homes. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants and was born and raised 
in south Florida, although she considers Orlando a second home. Alvarez 
has spent most of her journalism career in central Florida, where she 
has been front and center for every major news event in the last 15-
plus years.
  She spent years covering the space program at Kennedy Space Center, 
and was also in central Florida for Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, and 
Jean, reporting nonstop during the now-infamous 2004 hurricane season.
  In recent years, Alvarez was a central part of her station's coverage 
of the Pulse Nightclub shooting tragedy and covered various stories 
during the community's journey toward healing. She was also on the air 
for continuous coverage of Hurricane Irma and traveled to Puerto Rico 
to report on the devastating impacts of Hurricane Maria.
  Alvarez is also a graduate of Florida's Atlantic University, with 
degrees in communications and history. She has dedicated her career to 
giving a voice to people in need and using honest journalism as a tool 
for community service.
  Alvarez, a mother of two who is married to a news photographer, has 
dedicated her life to honoring the sacrifices made by her parents when 
they came to the U.S. from Cuba. It is her hope that her life, career, 
and impact have made the hardships they have endured worth it.


                         Honoring Orlando Rolon

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Orlando Rolon. 
Orlando Rolon was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and has lived in 
central Florida since 1977. After high school, he served in the United 
States Marines Reserves for 4 years.
  In 1992, Orlando Rolon was hired by the Orlando Police Department. In 
1997, Officer Rolon was promoted to sergeant, and, in 1999, he was 
selected as the first full-time bilingual public information officer in 
the history of the Orlando Police Department.
  In 2003, Sergeant Rolon was promoted to lieutenant. He served as the 
liaison to the mayor and, during that time, was named adviser for 
Hispanic Affairs for the City of Orlando. In 2010, he was selected as 
the special operations traffic enforcement section commander.
  In 2013, Lieutenant Rolon was promoted to the rank of captain. He 
served as a patrol division commander and the crisis negotiation team 
commander. Prior to his appointment as deputy chief, he was serving as 
the professional standards division commander, which included internal 
affairs, planning, fiscal, and training under his command. In 2013, he 
was named as one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in central 
Florida.
  In 2014, Mayor Buddy Dyer appointed Captain Orlando Rolon to the rank 
of deputy chief.
  In 2016, Deputy Chief Rolon was then assigned to patrol services 
bureau commander, with nearly 400 of the department's sworn staff 
officers under his command.
  Deputy Chief Rolon is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute 
Command Officers Development Course, the FBI National Academy Session 
263, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Executive 
Leadership Institute IV session.
  Deputy Chief Orlando Rolon is a member of the FBI National Academy 
Associates, Florida Police Chiefs Association, International 
Association of chiefs of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, and 
the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chief Rolon for his contributions.


                         Honoring Roxy Santiago

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Roxy Santiago, 
board of directors for the LGBT Center of Central Florida and board of 
the Pulse Foundation.
  Roxy Santiago was born in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has lived in 
Orlando for over 30 years. Roxy has worked for over 12 years at Walt 
Disney World in numerous management roles and had the privilege of 
being a personal tour guide for former Presidents and other high-
profile individuals.
  She was a partner with Phish Phest Entertainment for 10 years. The 
organization held dozens of events, raising more than $150,000 for 
charity over the past decade.
  Roxy was Tri-Chair Federal Club Steering Committee member for Human 
Rights Campaign, in 2006 through 2009; and in 2014 to present, she is 
currently serving on the Web Communications Steering Committee and 
Community Engagement.
  In 2014, she was honored with being selected among 50 distinguished 
local LGBT leaders by entering her biography and accomplishments in the 
U.S. Congressional Record; and here it is happening again
  In 2015, she became a member of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of 
Central Florida and assists in their web communications. In 2015, Roxy 
also became a volunteer at the American Red Cross of Central Florida. 
In the aftermath of Pulse, she was hired by the Red Cross in the 
position of community partnership.
  In 2016, she was selected by the National Human Rights Campaign, with 
19 other women around the U.S., to attend a workshop for Women and 
Leadership: Equality for the 21st Century. In 2016, Roxy became a board 
member for the LGBT Center of Central Orlando and serves as their 
secretary on the board.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Roxy for her contributions.


                         Honoring Tirso Moreno

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Tirso Moreno. Tirso 
was born in Mexico and came to this country in 1971, with his family to 
do farm work. He is currently the director of the Farmworker 
Association of Florida.
  In 1982, he became the lead organizer for the Farmworker Project of 
the Office for Farm Ministry, during which time he and several other 
farmworkers initiated the Farmworker Association. Under his leadership 
as general coordinator, the association has grown from a local to 
statewide organization with over 10,000 members.
  Tirso is a cofounder and board member of the Farmworker Health and 
Safety Institute and serves on the boards of Southern Partners Fund, 
Domestic Fair Trade Association, National Immigrant Farming Initiative, 
and the Rural Coalition. He also advocates for farmworkers' and 
immigrants' rights in national and international meetings.
  The Farmworker Association of Florida currently has five offices 
throughout central and south Florida. The mission of FWAF is to build 
power among farmworker and rural, low-income communities to respond to 
and gain control over the social, political, economic, workplace, 
health, and environmental justice issues that impact their lives.
  FWAF's core strategy is to help farmworkers realize their power to be

[[Page 15829]]

effective agents of social change and personal change by: validating 
and strengthening the experience and understanding of farmworkers; 
building farmworkers' capacity to participate in decisionmaking 
processes that affect their lives; and raising consciousness about and 
advocating for farmworkers' and immigrants' rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Tirso for his contributions.


                         Honoring William Diaz

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor William Diaz, Spanish 
radio host. Identified as a consistent community leader and insightful 
journalist, William Diaz's passion to help fellow citizens in life's 
struggles has been evidenced in the last 28 years of his residency in 
central Florida.
  William's activism in favor of Latin-American political development 
has granted him daily recognition with most of the Latin-American 
community in central Florida who listen to him and read his articles.
  A native of Cumana, and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he developed a 
natural way to start friendships and show loyalty and support for all 
humanitarian causes.
  William was the recipient of a scholarship that brought him to the 
United States to obtain his postgraduate diploma. In 1976, the 
University of Texas at Austin gave him a master's degree in mass 
communications.
  William served as a Venezuelan diplomatic official in Europe, when he 
was designated as general coordinator of the GMA Foundation and the 
educational attache to the Venezuelan Embassy in Paris, France.
  Founder and president of several community organizations in his 
native Venezuela, in 1989, William brought all of his experience to the 
U.S. Since then, he has been very active within the Latino community, 
specifically advising and counseling new nonprofit organizations.
  At this time, William is full-time with his radio show, ``Cara a Cara 
con William Diaz,'' which broadcasts in 18 different counties, founder 
of Casa de Venezuela, 15 years ago, which gathered most of the 
Venezuelans in central Florida, and founder of Made in Venezuela 
Business Club, dedicated to developing networking and promotions of 
products and services for Venezuelan businessmen and professionals, and 
current executive secretary of MUD Central Florida, the political 
organization that hosts and coordinates most of Venezuela's opposition 
political parties.


                      Honoring Zoraida Rios-Andino

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Zoraida Rios-
Andino, president of Mission Boricua.
  Zoraida Rios-Andino has been a resident of Orlando, Florida, for 17 
years. She has been very active in promoting cultural, social, and 
historic events in the Puerto Rican community. Zoraida is currently 
president and founder of Mission Boricua, an organization dedicated to 
history and civic engagement of the Puerto Rican community. Zoraida 
supervised the creation and promotion of Mission Boricua's outreach 
efforts.
  Zoraida has been part of the National Conference of Puerto Rican 
Women, Orlando chapter; United Front 436, National Boricua Human Rights 
Network, Orlando chapter; and Asociacion Borinquena. She is currently a 
board member for Speak Up Florida, and a member and cofounder of The 
Justice Project Coalition of Central Florida.
  In addition, she was an English as a second language instructor, and 
worked as a personnel administrator for many years. Zoraida was also 
program coordinator for ALSE, where she assisted hundreds of high 
school students pursuing postsecondary education.
  Zoraida has also led the movement to have the Florida Legislature 
pass a law in 2014, to put a honorary plaque along Semoran Boulevard in 
recognition of Rico Piccard, the late civil rights hero in central 
Florida.
  Zoraida has received numerous awards for her community service, like 
the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Conference of Puerto 
Rican Women; Roberto Clemente Community Service Award; Latino History 
Society President's Award; Outstanding Membership Award from the 
Asociacion Borinquena; Community Service Award from the office of 
Congressman Alan Grayson; 2014 Florida State Proclamation recipient 
from State Representative Victor Torres; Coqui de Oro Award from La 
Casa de Puerto Rico; the Rico Piccard Award from the Orange County 
Democratic Party, and more.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Zoraida for her contributions to central 
Florida.
  I am excited to be able to have this opportunity to talk about these 
heroes--so many who are symbolic of the hardworking Hispanic Americans 
in central Florida who help out with everyone from our poor, to our 
civil rights, to education, to the news, to politics, to our 
environment, to families, to so many important issues that matter to 
Hispanics across central Florida and across our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________