How We Celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month: A Look Back
In recognition of the theme “Be Proud of Your Past and Embrace the Future” for this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month in the Americas, the Firmwide Hispanic/Latinx Network (FHLN), one of the firm’s employee inclusion networks, sponsored a series of events to celebrate the contributions and diverse cultures within the Hispanic/Latinx community.
It’s also worth noting that this year, Goldman Sachs participated in the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) 2020 Corporate Inclusion Index, where we received 5 stars for Employment, 4 stars in Procurement & Governance, and 3 stars in Philanthropy.
Some of the firm's events that took place over the course of September and October are highlighted below:
2020 Hispanic Heritage Month Opening Celebration
Stephen Scherr, CFO of Goldman Sachs, and Alejandro Werner, Head of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere, kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a discussion on Latin America’s economic outlook. We had a record attendance of seventy-six clients and more than three-hundred Goldman Sachs colleagues who joined the discussion.
The Latinx Vote
In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month and National Voter Registration Day, the Hispanic/Latinx Network held a session featuring three nonprofits that focus on expanding Hispanic/Latinx voter registration and protection. Speakers included Lydia Camarillo, president of Southwest Voter Education Registration Project; Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice; and Danny Friedman, managing director of Voto Latino.
The speakers discussed focus areas that are top of mind for the Latinx/Hispanic community, such as the upcoming election, economy, effects of the pandemic, racial equality/ equity, and voter suppression. They also shared personal anecdotes around key issues such as harassment at voting polls.
After the session, Goldman Sachs Gives awarded a $10,000 grant to support the work of each of these organizations, as part of the Goldman Sachs COVID-19 Relief Fund.
“As a 51-year-old white man who grew up in CO and AZ, this is what I needed to hear again, and non-Latinx people at Goldman Sachs need to hear (or, like me, re-hear.)” — VP in Investment Banking
Navigating Finance, Technology and Fintech as a Hispanic/Latinx Professional
Ricardo Mora, co-head of Americas FICC Sales, moderated a panel highlighting the contributions and experiences of Hispanic/Latinx professionals in finance, technology and fintech. Over 200 colleagues joined the session representing Goldman Sachs, Uber, The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and more.
Panelists included Carlos Garcia, member of the Launch With GS Entrepreneur Cohort and chief executive officer of Finhabits; Luis Madrigal, engineering manager and client platform engineer at Uber, and Lili Gangas, chief technology community officer at Kapor Center.
“It’s always great to hear the stories and backgrounds of other Latinx individuals and how they are helping advance the community. A lot of what was mentioned resonated with me, especially the need for access and revised habits in financial literacy in our community.” — Associate in Finance
En el Menú: Three Chefs and a Zoom
While there is notable diversity among customs, ethnicity, and regional lingo in Hispanic/Latinx communities, the unique appreciation for food truly unites distinct cultures around the world. In recognition of the role cuisine plays, Goldman Sachs colleagues were invited on the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month to a discussion and cooking demonstration over Zoom. More than a hundred and fifty participants attended this session which was which was co-hosted by Gonzalo Garcia, co-head of the Investment Banking Division in EMEA and Executive Sponsor of the Firmwide Hispanic/Latinx network (FHLN), and Patricia McCarthy, co-head of the New York/ New Jersey FHLN Chapter. The demonstration featured Chefs Kelvin Fernandez, Lourdes Castro and Carlos Gaytán, who shared their backgrounds and demonstrated their signature dishes which included lomo saltado with chicken, Cuban black beans and rice bowl with avocado and pickled onion, and guacamole rojo. An ingredient list was provided in advance of the session so participants could follow along at home. Our professionals are quite the culinary artists!
Best cooking tip revealed: all three chefs agreed that frozen “maduros” are the tastiest!