Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Irma Marquez Trapero. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Irma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

I am a proud immigrant from Culiacán, México. At the age of nine, my family emigrated to St. James, a small rural farm town in Southern Minnesota. After we arrived, my family became undocumented, which is why I am also a proud DREAMer and former Deferred Action (DACA) recipient. Although my story is not unique, it is what drives me to be doing the work that I’m leading now. I’ve seen the lack of investment and visibility that our Latine community faces are given and that’s why I’m committed to the advancement of Latines in the state of Minnesota. I believe in the opportunity that Minnesota has to ensure this continues to be a great home for everyone, including our the Latine community. At LatinoLEAD, we envision a world where our community is civically engaged, connected, supported, and seen as the vital voice of influence we are. Our work in advocacy, leadership, and pathways to workforce opportunities ensures the most marginalized in our community have the resources they need to thrive. We build bridges across different communities, collectively solve problems, and cultivate equitable and economically vibrant communities.

Irma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As I shared earlier, I am a proud immigrant from Mexico who grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota, I have used the term “MexiSotan” to better describe my identity as I am a mix of many cultures and experiences. I am 1 of 345,640 Latines in the state and I am proud to call Minnesota my home. As far as what I do, I have the privilege everyday of working with amazing people for an organization whose mission I truly believe in. I’ve also had over 15 years of experience serving in the areas of community organizing, policy and political campaign work, immigration and employment law, nonprofit, and education. I feel that my path in previous roles and life experiences have perfectly positioned me to support in the creation of the largest Latine network organization that is creating the leaders of today and tomorrow.
LatinoLEAD’s primary purpose is to advance our collective community and diverse influence, success, and power with/for Latines in Minnesota. We are the hub for Latine agencies, funders, educational entities, legislators, and most importantly, Latine leaders. Our work is to increase our economic vitality and influence through asset building, workforce development, civic engagement, and leadership training.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

At LatinoLEAD, we are intentional about investing time, energy, and resources on community input to guide our work. Our programming is guided by our biggest ambassadors of our work, which is our own network. We have a network of over 3,500 Latine leaders, allies, and partners across the state and a large percentage of those who are highly active in our community planning committees, advocacy action teams, leadership programming, and mentorship opportunities to name a few. Personal impact stories about the quality of our work have been our biggest referrals. In addition, our network of partners have allowed us to also expand the ways we support our community and the resources we can provide via collaborations.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I believe it’s very important to center your message and tone to your audience and to audience you want to reconnect and/or engage for the first time. In order for us to build this, we needed to hear from our community which is why we completed a community assessment last year. This allowed us to understand our audience better and therefore engage them better.

Contact Info:

• Website: Latinoleadmn.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinoleadmn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latinoleadmn/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinoleadmn/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVSVAOmuBp5rlFI33qgtyg

Image Credits
TEST