Editorials

t takes the average immigrant 15 years to earn an income comparable to the average non-immigrant, according to the Berkeley-based New America Foundation (NAF). Sylvia Rosales-Fike, executive director of the Berkeley nonprofit, is helping immigrants, what she calls “new Americans,” speed up that process. 

One participant in New America’s program tells a harrowing story about losing thousands of dollars in savings hidden in her bedroom when a fire raged through her apartment building. Although successful in her catering business, the participant knew painfully little about managing her profits; she didn’t think an immigrant could open a bank account. NAF taught her otherwise. 

The group helps many who are like the fire victim to maneuver through a complex maze of paperwork and red tape, which often keeps immigrants underground and vulnerable to disaster. 

Thursday evening, NAF attracted more than 250 people to its first annual Gala celebration, which honored supporters of the organization and showcased many of the businesses of its clients. The colorful event included Vietnamese dancing, harp music from Paraguay, and appearances by Mayor-elect Tom Bates and the Green Party’s Peter Camejo.  

“NAF is a bridge between financial institutions who want to work with successful people and the immigrants who don’t yet know the ropes,” explained Rosales-Fike. 

In addition, NAF teaches asset management and encourages saving strategies by offering a dollar for dollar match for participants. 

“Wages alone won’t help people move to a better quality of life,” said Rosales-Fike. “You need a model that includes asset building so they can save for the long term and invest in their businesses. This is a formula that has worked for the middle class in this country.” 

There are 47 entrepreneurs participating in NAF’s program, which currently focuses on immigrants from El Salvador and Vietnam. Construction, housekeeping, auto body repair, roofing, and even Herbalife business are represented in NAF’s portfolio of clients. 

From a shy embroiderer to a sophisticated real estate agent, this diverse group of entrepreneurial hopefuls all gratefully acknowledge the critical role that the organization has played.  

“It’s a very nurturing environment, but they give you the facts about how it’s going to be,” said Maria Cárcamo, a former Bank of America technology project manager turned entrepreneur. Cárcamo now imports museum quality pottery from Nicaragua. 

“It used to be a hobby,” said Ana Vilanova of her photography business, called Spark of History. “Now I have the tools to make it a real business.” She now understands what a 401K is and is taking advantage of NAF’s savings program. 

But it’s not just about making money. In the course of the NAF training, participants learn about a “double bottom line.” At the end of a program cycle, in addition to a finished business plan and membership in a local chamber of commerce, participants also share their good fortune. 

One mother/son team has launched Manos Sabrosas, a catering business. “For me, the heart of the program is social responsibility. It isn’t just a question of financial success. We have to give back to our community, invest in our community,” said owner Clara Luz Navarro, 

And for so many, launching a business is life transforming. A soft-spoken Mexican woman who is wholesaling her embroidered linens matter-of-factly speaks of her most valuable lesson: “I’ve learned to believe in myself, and that I can do what I want. I’ve learned to believe in my own dreams,” she said. 

Although Thursday’s event was focused on applauding the supporters who have helped launch Rosales-Fike’s organization, one donor remarked, “The real risk-takers in the room are those who have left their language and cultures for an entirely new society, making a tremendous leap of faith.” Immigrants walk a difficult path, and those who start down the road to entrepreneurship are adventuresome, the donor explained. 

But the new Americans are in good company. Minority business ownership has more than doubled over the last two decades, and today nearly 15 percent of all American businesses are minority-owned, according to the Small Business Association. 

In spite of crashing stock markets, the saber rattling of politicians, and the general unease felt by so many people, new Americans remain undaunted. However clichéd, the lure of being one’s own boss still beckons these dedicated immigrants. 

NAF board member Sister Linda Orrick summed it up. “I’m a firm believer in that aspect of the American dream that says ‘I want to take control of my own destiny.’” 

For more information, contact the New America Foundation at 510-540-7785, or visit www.anewamerica.org