Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Latina Style 50
April 24, 2002

Good afternoon, and thank you for that kind introduction, Robert.

I was so pleased to be invited to this special event honoring companies that provide the greatest opportunities to Latinas.

As secretary of labor, I have an especially deep appreciation of the contributions that Latinas are making to our workforce and our economy. So it’s good to see that so many companies are recognizing these contributions, as well as the special needs of working Latinas, in a significant way—from recruitment efforts to family-friendly workplace policies to programs that provide a steady ladder of success for Latina employees.

The first thing I want to do today is to commend Latina Style magazine for sponsoring these awards, and take a moment to pay tribute to Anna Maria Arias, the founder of both the awards and your magazine, and to you, Robert, as you are carrying your wife’s vision forward today.

In talking about Latinas in business and in the workforce, we have to remember Anna Maria, who you lost, tragically, just six months ago.

Her beliefs in promoting Latinas in this country, primarily through economic empowerment, are one reason why we are gathered here today.

When she launched this awards program in 1998, she helped corporate America understand Latinas, and your community.

The existence of the Latina Style 50 awards gives companies a terrific incentive to provide opportunities to Latina workers. Anna Maria was a true entrepreneur and someone who understood the arrival of this community to our national scene. She believed that creating this competition among companies would create an attractive incentive and help to focus corporate America on providing enhanced opportunities for Latinas.

Anna Maria’s contributions to your community and to this country cannot be overstated.

Because of her passion and energy, the profile of working Latinas—a group of women who are bringing so much to the American workplace—has increased dramatically.

Anna Maria’s husband, Robert, deserves to be commended for doing a first-rate job carrying on her life’s work. Robert, your commitment and perseverance is an inspiration to us all.

The pride and passion that Anna Maria put into her work is an outstanding example of the Latina work ethic. And it is also something that I believe is especially strong in immigrants and the children of immigrants.

As an immigrant to this country myself, I share that experience of being raised by parents who wanted nothing more in life than to achieve a better life for their children. They came to this country for the opportunities that it would afford all of us.

My father worked hard to support the family and get an education, and eventually started his own business.

My family’s story is one that I know many of us share: The hard work it took to transition into a new country, the even harder work and courageous task of starting a family business.

But then the wonderful thing happens. One day, you wake up and you realize that you are not only pursuing the American dream—you are living it.

Indeed, many Latinas today are achieving the dream through entrepreneurship: Latina business owners are the fastest-growing segment of small-business owners in this country. There are nearly half a million Latina-owned businesses in America today; that’s 40 percent more than there were just five years ago. And those businesses are providing and producing jobs—hundreds of thousands of them—which are the economy’s most precious asset.

I enjoyed meeting many Latina business owners at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit that the Department of Labor hosted in March. That’s also when I met Robert and began focusing on Latina Style. And I can’t tell you how glad I am to be here to support the outstanding work the Hispanic community does, and the fine example you are all setting for young Latinos.

Of course you don’t necessarily have to start your own business to be an entrepreneur—you can be an innovator and a leader and a successful business-woman within the company that you work for.

And that’s what the corporations honored here today have recognized.

They have seen the outstanding work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of their Latina employees. And they have also seen the reality of working women’s lives… the challenge of balancing work and family, all the while striving to excel at both.

Their response has been to encourage Latina achievement through providing opportunities, mentoring programs, management and leadership development, and family-friendly work policies.

For example, your top winner today, Citigroup Inc., recruits Latinas through the Hispanic media and then creates a supportive work environment for them by implementing on-site childcare, flextime, telecommuting and job sharing opportunities. These policies are important for a community that values family so highly.

Enlightened human resources policies that help women balance work and family also help them succeed. And this is one of the key reasons why these awards are so important.

Today’s award winners, do these things because they value their Latina employees, and also because it’s just good business.

When Latinas are achieving their fullest potential at work, when they are rising through the ranks of management, the businesses they work for are benefiting, too.

The companies on your list of 50 don’t need to be forced to hire and promote Latinas—they want to promote Latina success because they know how much it will benefit their own bottom lines.

So corporate America seems to be catching on to the value of Latinas. But, as I said before, it does help to have a little outside encouragement and incentive now and then—some good old-fashioned competition… provided uniquely by the Latina Style 50 Awards.

It is very encouraging to me to see some of the best-known corporations in America receiving this award. I really like the way Morgan Stanley put it in an ad in the Latina Style50 Special Report: “Diversity—It’s not an obligation, it’s an opportunity.”

So to Robert, the staff of Latina Style magazine, and all of today’s award recipients: congratulations! You are all doing such good work for your communities and our economy.

I am so pleased to be able to celebrate this day with you, and to celebrate the opportunities of our free enterprise system.

Thank you.

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