Up Close: Richard Cabellos

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Richard Cabellos is a first-generation immigrant who has made Loudoun County his home.

A member of Virginia's 10th Congressional District Democratic Committee who aspires to run for public office, Cabellos was born in Trujillo, Peru, raised in Fairfax County and now lives in South Riding with his wife Yolanda Reid-Cabellos. He often uses the Spanish version of his full name, Ricardo Cabellos-Reyes, in his work with Latino groups and residents. Through various jobs and volunteer positions, he has spent much of his life representing the views and fighting for the needs of Virginia’s immigrant population.

In a recent e-mail interview with LoudounExtra.com, Cabellos discusses his involvement in regional hot-button immigration issues, his work with various local organizations (including one that he recently co-founded in Loudoun called the Neighborhood Listens Program) and his hopes for the future.

Q: You are a director of Community Connections Outreach for the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA). What does the job entail?

A: I am one of the two coordinators the FCPA hired in 2006 to build bridges to the Latino and Korean communities of Fairfax County. Community Connections is a comprehensive outreach and education strategy developed by the FCPA to listen to, engage and build trust with increasingly diverse park users. Although it began as an effort to provide staff at non-staffed sites to address park usage issues, Community Connections has evolved into a philosophy that seeks to build bridges between Park Authority staff and our new customers.

By providing that one-on-one interaction with the Latino community and creating awareness of facility and program resources currently available, increasing access to services by eliminating cultural and communication barriers, and developing new programs and facilities, this program is helping the Park Authority better serve the expanding diverse community of Fairfax County.

Courtesy of Richard Cabellos

Here, Richard Cabellos receives the 2008 Fairfax County Outstanding Performance Award from the Fairfax County executive for building partnerships in the Latino community and establishing the Park Authority as a credible partner in the countywide network of human services providers.

Q: You have been a member of El Pueblo Unido – “People United.” Tell us about the philosophy and activities of the organization and your involvement with it.

A: The original El Pueblo Unido (EPU) organization was started by two young Latino community organizers from Falls Church and Woodbridge, and myself. Our first instinct in starting this organization was to bring some common sense to the immigration debate in Northern Virginia, to educate state delegates and senators at the General Assembly in Richmond, to bring about fair and comprehensive laws in the Commonwealth. One aspect that many elected officials failed to address when introducing or supporting legislation is the impact it will have on all communities. Our goal was to provide that voice and knowledge to our elected officials to ensure a fair debate from individuals that historically may not have had a voice.

Q: Which specific events or concerns caused you to be so involved in immigration issues?

A: The main concern of my involvement in immigration issues was just a matter of plain social justice for the poor and the misunderstood. I saw honest people who were just trying to feed their families; I saw children just trying to study their hardest; I saw mothers and fathers doing their best to teach their sons and daughters the values of what it is to work hard in this country because there were no opportunities for them in their own countries. And then I saw these same people used as scapegoats in the media for the reason of crime, for political wedge issues, for divisive and irrational laws. But worst of all, I saw these people turn voiceless and afraid to defend themselves. I thought someone needed to do something. The immigrant community was grouped together when crime happened and was blamed for things we had nothing to do with. That is not the United States or the Commonwealth I grew up in.

Q: The debate over how to treat immigrants who did not come here legally is especially fierce in Northern Virginia; some seek stringent immigration-law enforcement and bans on government assistance while others argue that almost all immigrants deserve a clear path to citizenship. How would you summarize your position on handling illegal immigration?

A: First let me address the issue of the terminology of “illegal” versus “undocumented.” I feel that when we use the word illegal, it biases your questioning or argument and debate about immigration. For example, when people use "illegitimate child," yes, the child was born under diverse circumstances, but it still is a breathing, living human being, not a criminal. The same would go for using the word "illegal" before "immigrant"; it already biases that statement, [implying] that this immigrant is a criminal. Without understanding that there is a complex immigration system that makes a person undocumented and not an illegal person, I believe no living, breathing human is illegal.

Courtesy of Richard Cabellos

Richard Cabellos (walking toward the camera, with the VCU sweatshirt on) helped organize a fall clean-up event in Herndon with the day laborer community. Here, he is shown with some of the workers, clearing the parkland behind Hutchinson Elementary School of trash and debris.

That said, I think there is a lot of misinformation out there that dehumanizes the immigration debate. First and foremost, I think we can all agree that the majority of the undocumented individuals choose to leave their country for the basic principles of a better life for themselves and their families.

I do believe there has to be legal pathway to those individuals who have contributed to our society and ensure that those individuals who have caused harm to our country are not given that opportunity.

As to the issue about government assistance to the undocumented, in reality there is a lot of misinformation out there. Laws have already been in place for a long time that reject those without proper permanent U.S. resident or citizen status to any type of government assistance.

Q: For five years, you were a member of the Virginia Latino Advisory Board (VLAB). Tell us about the board’s activities and your role on it.

A: My role with VLAB was to advise and inform the governor on issues important to the Virginia Latino community, advocate for their interests and increase awareness about the contributions made by Latinos in Virginia. We traveled on behalf of the governor to the Eastern Shore, the agricultural south and the mountainous west. In all regions of the state, we talked to Latinos and non-Latinos of various backgrounds, to government leaders about their concerns in their town or city with an increasing immigrant population. VLAB’s main role was to educate the Latino community on state services available to them as well as to educate all Virginians on the great diversity of our Commonwealth.

Q: While on the panel, you met with a number of Virginian police chiefs to discuss their departments’ relationships with their jurisdictions’ Latino communities. Tell us about those discussions. What came of them?

A: My concerns centered on assuring that public safety officials were made aware of cultural differences and language barriers that exist within the Latino community. These meetings served to ensure that our public safety officials were also aware of the impact of jurisdictional changes in enforcing our immigration laws at a state and local level. These open dialogues with police chiefs filled the gap between the Latino community and our public service providers.

Q: What do you think is the best model for the relationship between law enforcement and immigrants?

A: We must not take for granted that safety issues are a concern of all residents. We need more Spanish-speaking deputies out there on the streets and [in the] community policing in our neighborhoods, so when a crime happens immigrant communities are not afraid to speak up for fear of immigration status [checks]. We need to remind those who live within our county that we are a welcoming community and an engaging community and not a divisive one.

Q: You recently launched what you are calling a Neighborhood Listens Program in Loudoun with an unlikely pair of allies. Can you give our readers an update on how it’s going?

A: It’s an amazing collaboration from, as you mentioned, unlikely allies. It is true that opposites do attract and what brought us together is the overall message of finding a common ground. The Loudoun Neighborhood Agreement (LNA) is a grassroots effort by Loudoun County residents which focuses on fostering direct, informal communication networks in our communities to promote quality of life for everyone who lives here. We believe the vast majority of county residents, of all cultural backgrounds, share a similar desire to live in safe neighborhoods where community standards are upheld.

There is nothing simpler than that, and the response from the public has been phenomenal. We have had e-mails and calls of support to translate our Web site into more than two languages; currently parts are in Spanish, but the majority is still in English. The public was waiting for a new course to take, and this is one step toward that. The second would be you, the reader, the listener, to communicate with your neighbor and begin to work together and take responsibility to open the lines of communication.

Q: This is an interesting time to discuss Latino issues. Last week, President Obama nominated self-styled Nuyorican Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. How has the Northern Virginia Latino community responded, if at all, to her selection?

A: We still need to wait for her confirmation, but her being nominated is in itself a historic moment. The qualifications she brings to this position prove [her] to be the best candidate. Personally, I feel that her life story through economic hardships brings a diversity that relates not just to Latinos but [to] the general population in the United States - that is, the working class. The Latino community in Northern Virginia will see this confirmation as continued breaking of cultural and gender barriers. It is a proud moment for our country; however, it exemplifies the need for Virginia to embrace more Latino- and Latina-elected leaders at the state and local level.

Q: Going back to your home life in Loudoun, is there a particular place or regular event in the county that you would recommend to friends?

A: I love what is booming where I reside in South Riding, which is the tantalizing [mix] of ethnic restaurants from India, Thailand, China, El Salvador, Mexico and Italy. But even better is the many landscaped and well-manicured foot and bike trails and community parks in South Riding, which strives to keep its rural, small-town appeal where I can burn off all the calories from those diverse restaurants!

Q: You’re a fairly public citizen. Tell us something your friends and colleagues don’t know about you.

A: Well most of me is out there in the public eye, but I think no one really knows about my desire to run for public office in the future. I hope to do this soon, after my wife and I have a family and have acquired the resources to run.

Tagged: Democratic Party, immigration, South Riding, Up Close

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