Economic growth lies in our diverse neighborhoods

April 22, 2011 | By Will Dorcena, Boston Business Journal

One of the strengths of Boston’s economy lies in its neighborhoods: entrepreneurs who run small businesses.

According to the Governor’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, small businesses make up 86% of all businesses in Massachusetts. A 2002 Department of Neighborhood Development report states that $4.7 billion was spent on housing in Boston’s neighborhoods; $1.8 billion in transportation; $1.7 billion in food and beverages; $661 million in recreation; $483 million in apparel. And that’s just a sample that has likely increased over the last decade.

These stats are worth noting when thinking about Boston’s economy and its contribution to our competiveness as a state and country. In the city’s neighborhoods, entrepreneurship is the driver that motivates very diverse populations to create buying and selling opportunities around the corner from where they live.

As I have walked the streets of the 20 plus neighborhoods of this city, I have repeatedly noticed that they reflect the rich cultures of hard-working people, whether it’s the Italians who make the North End a family destination for food and fun, the Vietnamese who have kept large sections of Dorchester booming with various shops and eateries, or the Latino community in Jamaica Plain with restaurants and specialty stores that have a flare you won’t find anywhere else in the city.

The small businesses owned, operated and patronized by the residents of our neighborhoods provide the base and reflect the strength of their economies, thus the city and state. You can gauge the strength of that local economy by observing just how many residents and visitors enter the stores to engage in business transactions.

Our diverse population is fully and enthusiastically engaged in the happenings of our city. They want to make a living and build a community that they hope will nurture their families. Diversity is a buzzword often used in explaining policies of large businesses and government. But diversity is about people and the human experience, not some fancy metric. The 2010 Census states that there are 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, composing 16 percent of the total population. This segment of the population – like so many established and immigrant communities – have everything to do with growing economies.

In early 2007, I travelled to India and observed first-hand the explosive growth of entrepreneurial ambitions and successes of people with minuscule resources. Other countries like Brazil, Russia and China are experiencing similar growth. China just passed Japan as the world’s second largest economy and is driving hard to surpass the U.S. As a competitive American, I would like to see the U.S. remain on top. While there are many things that government, both local and national, and American businesses must do if we are to retain a leadership position, local neighborhood businesses play a significant role.

The next time you walk down a street in Roxbury, South End or Roslindale, take a look around you and notice the small things, the lines at the local grocery store, people at the bank, the non-profit organizations serving the residents. What you are seeing is a city full of diverse people who care about the same thing – providing a better future for their children and their families. At the same time, they are helping to grow the national economy by being engaged in their own neighborhood.

They are one of the reasons that Boston’s economy will continue to grow.

New ticket: First minority team to lead BC's student government

April 12, 1994 | By David Arnold, Boston Globe

William Dorcena and Cecilia Gutierrez will make history when they become president and vice president of undergraduate government at Boston College on Friday.

Dorcena, the son of Haitian immigrants, and Gutierrez, the daughter of Dominican Republic immigrants, are the first minority ticket to win the leadership role in the college's 131-year history.

At least two people say they have long expected the two would rise to the top.

Rev. William C. Francis of St. Paul's Parish in Dorchester has known Dorcena since administering his First Communion some 15 years ago.

"Sit tight. He's going to be mayor of Boston someday," said the priest.

Paul Barrett, a student adviser at Lynn Classical High School, was a mentor and admirer of Gutierrez during her senior year four years ago.

"No one was more of a mover in school or on the street for needy people in Lynn," said Barrett. "My sense is that she has just begun."

The big momentum that led to their March 2 election victory got an early start for Dorcena and Gutierrez, it appears, in the neighborhoods -- proof that the American dream is still alive.

And they don't intend to forget it.

The pair would like to bring a lot more of Dorchester and Lynn to the Catholic college.

"We're going to go back to the neighborhoods. More kids from the city's public and parochial schools should be at BC," Dorcena said yesterday. "More kids should know they can make it."

Carol Green, a BC associate dean, said that while she does not speak for the entire university, she believes the election "is one very important sign that the university is changing and maturing in its efforts to broaden student diversity."

Dorcena, 21, and Gutierrez, 20, ran a campaign on the promise they would not just talk about the importance of campus diversity, they would put it into practice.

Their plans as head of student government, which allocates some $700,000 from student activity charges toward projects, include the following:

- Organizing outreach programs in which Boston College students will visit Boston public and parochial schools to encourage youngsters to excel academically.

- Holding retreats, perhaps on campus, every other week for white and non-white students to exchange fact and fiction about their cultural and ethnic identities.

- Encourage student clubs and organizations of different ethnic backgrounds to pair up for events or outings.

Dorcena and Gutierrez are the first "AHANA" team to win a student government election. BC began using the acronym AHANA in 1978 as a label for itsstudents of African, Hispanic, Asian and Native American descent.

"Discussion is our greatest need," said Dorcena. "Hearsay is the greatest enemy."

All eight Dorcena children are being educated partly with funds from the parents, who each work two housekeeping jobs. The colleges attended by family members include Boston College and Dartmouth.

The hard-work scenario is similar in the Gutierrez family, which now lives in Salem. Cecilia has five siblings, all working toward high school or college degrees on the sweat income and dedication of parents.

"My mother," she said, "is my role model."

Dorcena and Gutierrez beat their closest rival, Michael Rozman, the current student government vice president, by about 300 votes.

They did it by knocking on doors -- every student door, some 3,000 of them by the count of their student campaign manager, William Forry.

Then they knocked on every door again.

Even Rozman became an admirer.

"I'll have to admit, they're going to be really good for the college," he said.