Press Release
☷Remarks by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at the White House Commission on Hispanics
U.S. Department of Commerce ( By Press Release office)
Jan 27,2024
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Hey everyone , thanks for being here at the Commerce Department . I just want to say how important our Hispanic communities are to our economy . I ' ve seen it firsthand as Governor of Rhode Island , where the Hispanic population grew by almost 40% in the last decade . We have over 375 , 000 Hispanic - owned businesses in the nation and Hispanics make up almost 20% of the labor force . At Commerce , we ' re working on addressing the challenges they face , like lower wages , higher unemployment , and workplace discrimination . Let me give you some examples: The Minority Business Development Agency launched the $125 million Capital Readiness Program to help underserved entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses . They ' ve also given grants to some HSIs to support entrepreneurship programs for undergrads . Our Good Jobs Challenge is creating job training pipelines in places like Puerto Rico and Miami , where there are large Latino populations . We ' re also investing in Tech Hubs across the country . HSIs have received over $72 million through our Connecting Minority Communities program to improve broadband access . I also want to acknowledge the great work Deputy Secretary Graves is doing as the Administration ' s Coordinator for Puerto Rico ' s Economic Growth . Thanks to President Biden ' s leadership , we ' re making historic investments in high - speed internet and domestic chip manufacturing , which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs . But we can ' t do it alone . It ' s up to all of us - the government , private sector , nonprofits , and colleges and universities - to ensure everyone , including the Hispanic community and women , have access to these opportunities . This isn ' t about politics , it ' s just common sense . We need workers who are ready for these jobs from day one . So , we ' re counting on your guidance to help us . I had a great talk with some HSI presidents about how they can be part of the workforce training pipeline for chip manufacturing . But I also want you to think about how HSIs can prepare students for jobs in these industries . How can they team up with private companies to make sure students are getting jobs in their local communities right after graduation? If you have any ideas , feel free to share them with my team , because we ' re all ears . I hope today ' s program was helpful for you . Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise with this commission . This work is important , and we ' re counting on your insights to make sure we do it right . Thanks .
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