Who? Hale is one of a new generation of Hispanics in Tampa, a native of Colombia who is leading efforts to raise awareness of the richness and diversity of the modern Hispanic community.
Sphere of Influence: Hale, 28, owns her own public affairs consulting firm, Transnational Relations, and previously served as a congressional assistant to former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis. She's active in a number of organizations, from founding the Hispanic Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (HYPE) to the umbrella Hispanic Alliance of Tampa Bay, a cultural and leadership nonprofit that made her its president recently.
How she makes a difference: The USF grad grew up in Bogota and Tampa, so she's been able to serve as a bridge between new Hispanics and the city's older Cuban-dominated groups, as well as the traditional Anglo power structure. She networks tirelessly, looking for excited young professionals who want to be part of a Tampa renaissance.
CL: What is it about the Hispanic community that Tampa Bay doesn't understand and that it needs to?
Hale: There is a lack of wanting to understand what the Hispanic community is nowadays. The Tampa Bay area has completely changed from what it was 10 years ago. Before, we had the older immigrants [who were mainly Cuban], the Tampeños, and now we have an influx of new immigrants [from Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Brazil, etc.] who are coming into this area from all places. [Consequently,] there's a lot of [new Hispanic] organizations here, but it's difficult to have people understand what they do.
I have been elected as president of the Hispanic Alliance of Tampa Bay, [which] has around 40 organizations or associations. … under one umbrella. We are going to focus this year on government, on culture.
And its not just about being Hispanic; it's about knowing that there's 40,000 Haitians in this area and what are we doing about it. It is knowing that we have different people from all different parts of the world, that this is the No. 1 place where refugees come from Africa to Lutheran Services to be helped. It's about how we can be united and be more multicultural.
Are young immigrant professionals being given a chance to participate in and contribute to Tampa Bay's civic and cultural life?
[I started HYPE two years ago] because there are many professionals starting to come out that make big figure [salaries] and want to create change. You're seeing it more and more. The people who don't make it in terms of the Hispanic community are the ones who don't take the time to learn English. That's true in any culture. It's a lot more difficult for them to be successful.
When will we see these new immigrants holding public office?
I don't think we're a long way off at all. I see it not only in the Hispanic community but in the Indian community, I see it in the Asian community, and not only the minority groups, I see it in the young professionals saying, "This is it, we're done with the same people running for office, let's take a chance." I think we're going to see a lot of that in 2010 and 2011. We're going to see a lot of young people starting to go and starting to make it. We see people coming here from Silicon Valley, deciding to stay here and raise their families here, and they want something new, they want something fresh.
Why are they attracted to Tampa and not, say, Miami?
Look at our history. Before even Miami was Miami, Tampa had its Hispanic heritage. We go back to the times of the Cuban cigars. … It has such a Hispanic heritage. … that you can't close your eyes to it. I just had a Cuban artist come to my house the other day, and he said, "You know … I love Ybor City because I love to walk down the streets that José Martí walked on."
Is that why you bought a home in Ybor?
I believe that everything you do in your life, from the place you live, from your actions, to everything, has to represent change. To live in a loft in Ybor City is contributing to that wonderful change of seeing a city grow in a positive way. It's amazing to see people looking at Tampa through different eyes and saying let's focus on change, and stop thinking in this small mentality of "we're this little and this is Tampa," but looking at it in the big, broad view and saying we can do this. What makes us not be able to do this?
How do you influence people?
The most important thing for me is to take the people you know and share them with others. There's no better thing in the world, no riches in the world, more than actually having people who believe in good government, people who want change and people who are very passionate about it. No one can stop that.
This article appears in Jan 23-29, 2008.