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This series is titled Ready or Not. The real
talk Black and Latino communities need. Welcome
to Questions You Didn't Ask. Today, I want to
speak from a place of honesty and humility. I'm
here to share my thoughts and questions about
the connections and sometimes disconnections
between Black or African American and Latino
or Hispanic communities in the fight for health
equity. These are hard topics. But they are necessary
if we want to create lasting solutions to inequality,
prejudice and oppression. As your host, I am
to foster conversations that challenge the status
quo. This requires us to think boldly and embrace
innovation, even when the path forward is unclear.
We'll explore tough. truths, and work to build
understanding across cultural divides. Together,
we'll face what oftentimes feels like a mountain
of challenges. Because what else can we do with
the time we have, but use it to push for a more
just world? Let me start by sharing a bit about
my journey. I'm an African American woman from
the Triangle region of North Carolina. Raleigh,
Durham, and Chapel Hill. These are three distinct
cities, by the way, just neighboring and forming
a unique community in the heart of North Carolina.
Growing up, I lived in a world that was divided
largely along Black and white racial lines. Latinos
were a small, often overlooked presence in our
community. This changed when I moved to East
Harlem for graduate school. East Harlem, also
known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, is a vibrant
community with a rich Afro -Latino and Black
Latino presence. For the first time, I encountered
people who looked like me, but spoke Spanish
as their first language. I saw Puerto Ricans,
Dominicans, and others whose African heritage
was unmistakable. This was a revelation, an embodied
reminder of the transatlantic slave trade that
left its imprint across the Americas. Afro -Latinos,
who often share African and Latino ancestry,
have a unique and underrepresented history in
the United States. While 24 % of Latinos in the
U .S. identify as Afro -Latino, many still feel
invisible. Historically, figures like Arturo
Alfonso Schomburg, a key thinker of the Harlem
Renaissance, worked tirelessly to highlight the
shared struggle of Black people globally. More
recently, celebrities like Zoe Saldana and Cardi
B have embraced their Afro -Latino heritage,
raising visibility for this diverse group. Yet,
Afro -Latinos often face dual discrimination
from both the Black and Latino communities, compounding
their challenges in navigating society. Despite
this rich history and shared struggle, tensions
between Black and Latino communities persist.
My grandmother's experience in Nevada offers
a personal glimpse into this divide. She shared
with me how Latino shopkeepers treated her with
suspicion and disrespect, making her feel unwelcome.
Her frustration stemmed from the fact that African
Americans had paved the way for so many civil
rights victories, including those benefiting
immigrants of color. Yet, she felt that her own
dignity was disregarded. Her experience is not
unique. Studies show that anti -Black sentiments
exist among some Latinos, particularly when their
status as Americans feels threatened. Research
from the American Political Science Review highlights
how Latinos, like other groups, may distance
themselves from Black people to gain social acceptance
in America. This tension often undermines potential
alliances. Yet, it's crucial to remember that
such sentiments are not universal and are heavily
influenced by structural inequities and societal
pressures. These divisions have also become visible
in politics. The 2024 election highlighted a
significant shift in Latino voting patterns,
with many moving toward conservative candidates.
For example, Latino support for Trump increased
by 28 points in Nevada and over 30 points in
Michigan. This shift raises pressing questions
about the future of solidarity among communities
of color and the role of shared struggles in
shaping political priorities. At the same time,
Black and Latino communities face many of the
same barriers. African Americans are 42 % more
likely to have hypertension and 59 % more likely
to be obese than white Americans. while Latinos
are 21 % more likely to have diabetes and 20
% more likely to be obese than white Americans.
Both groups are disproportionately uninsured,
with 16 .1 % of Latinos and 10 .6 % of African
Americans lacking coverage in recent years. These
shared health inequities are rooted in systemic
racism and structural barriers that impact both
groups. Discrimination doesn't stop at health
care. African -Americans continue to face over
policing and mass incarceration. Similarly, Latinos
experience the criminalization of immigration
with over a million deportations in recent years.
Both groups are disproportionately impacted by
police violence and racial profiling. These shared
struggles demand unified advocacy, yet systemic
forces often seek to divide us. Fortunately,
history offers examples of solidarity. The Latino
civil rights movement, inspired by African -American
leaders, saw figures like Cesar Chavez and Dolores
Huerta workers' rights while recognizing the
connections between racial and economic justice.
Today, organizations like the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People and the
League of United Latin American Citizens continue
to advocate for equity across racial and ethnic
lines. Leaders like Justice Sonia Sotomayor and
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson embody the possibilities
of bridging these divides. As we move through
this series, I want us to explore these complexities
together. Why do divisions persist despite shared
struggles? How can we foster genuine solidarity
to tackle health inequities and other systemic
challenges? To help us answer these questions,
I've invited a guest I deeply admire, a truth
teller and bridge builder who will help us navigate
these important conversations. Let this be the
beginning of a journey toward deeper understanding,
stronger alliances, and a future where equity
and justice are realities for all. It is my absolute
honor to introduce today's guest, a woman whose
tireless advocacy and unwavering passion have
made an extraordinary impact, Julissa Soto. As
a CEO and founder of Julissa Soto Latino Health
Equity Consulting, Julissa has dedicated over
two decades to championing health equity for
Latino immigrant communities and underserved
populations. Her transformative work has been
recognized not only in Colorado, but across the
nation, earning her numerous awards, including
the 2024 Minority Owned Business of the Year
from the Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of
Commerce. and the Immunization Champion Award
from the Association of Immunization Managers.
Julissa's efforts have redefined how public health
initiatives engage with marginalized communities.
Through groundbreaking programs like Latinos
Unidos for Vaccines and her signature Vaccine
Sundays, she has ensured that thousands of people
have access to life -saving health resources.
delivered in culturally resonant and community
-centered ways. Her leadership extends to policy
as well, where she serves on influential boards
such as the Health Equity Commission for the
Colorado Department of Public Health and the
Behavioral Health Equity Steering Committee for
SAMHSA, driving systemic change. Julissa's story
is one of resilience, innovation, and bold action.
An immigrant from Tijuana, Mexico, she channeled
her lived experiences into a lifelong mission
to dismantle barriers and address social determinants
of health. Her ability to build coalitions and
inspire action has made her a trusted voice on
platforms such as TEDx Mile High and media outlets
like NPR and Time Magazine. Her impact goes beyond
public health. Julissa's work fosters empowerment,
equity, and inclusion, embodying the values that
create lasting societal change. Her accolades,
like the 2023 Distinguished Service Award from
the Colorado University Anschutz Medical Campus,
reflect a career dedicated to improving lives
and inspiring others to join the fight for justice.
Today, we are privileged to hear from a vibrant
leader and fearless advocate. Julissa Soto, thank
you for joining us. It is a true honor to have
you here. In your own words, tell our audience
more about who you are and where you come from.
Well, good morning or good afternoon or good
evening, depends on where you're at. My name
is Julissa Soto, and I am an independent equity
consultant and live in Colorado, but I was born
and raised in Mexico. I'm also host of my radio
show, Prevenciones Salud, con Julissa Soto. Also
do commercials for Telemundo and one of the commissioners
of the state of Colorado. Impressive, impressive,
impressive. How did you get here to the U .S.?
You said that you were from Mexico. We're in
Mexico. And how did you get here? Well, I was
born south of Mexico, so close by Acapulco. and
my hometown is called uruapan and my state is
michoacan i came here 27 years ago i came to
united states yeah approximately 27 years ago
crossed the border in the trunk of a car so i
was 16 hours in that trunk from tijuana mexico
i crossed the border san isidro and then went
to san diego from san diego to Colorado, and
that's where my journey begins. But I want to
say to everyone that I didn't want to come to
the United States. It was my ex -husband who
brought me here. That's very interesting. Yeah,
we're going to jump into a lot of that because
I think that there are a number of people, including
myself, that have had to confront. some commonly
misconceived assumptions about why people from
Mexico, Central America, South America, Latin
America, even want to come here. Like, and how
they get here. I mean, you said something compelling
about being in the trunk of a car for 16 hours.
That's something that most Americans cannot even
fathom. So as you tell your story and as your
story has unfolded over the years, what are some
of the most commonly misconceived assumptions
that Americans have about Latino immigrants that
you have encountered? Well, you know, I have
encountered a lot of racism and discrimination.
I think myths about immigrants coming to the
United States. A lot of us don't want to be here,
but somebody else brought us here. And when you're
married, when you're from Central America or
Mexico, you must listen to your man. Your man
says, we're going to this country. We're moving.
You move. You don't ask the questions, right?
And once you arrive to the United States, to
America. People in here assume that immigrants
want to take the jobs of Americans, that we all
came here and applied for welfare, that we all
came here and we want free rights. And I'm always
talking to the community and educating professionals
about, you know, no. First of all, immigrants
like myself cannot apply for benefits like food
stamps, cash or... TANF. We cannot apply for
those benefits because we are not legal in this
country, number one. And number two, the government
asked us not to ask for any type of benefits.
If not, we're not going to fix our papers, right?
Or it's going to hurt our citizenship. And that's
what the community don't know. Also, what the
community out there or the professionals don't
know is that once we get here, the government
does give us, and they know that we're undocumented,
and they give us a 19 number. A 19 number, which
is very different to a Social Security number.
With a Social Security number, you can work.
With a 19 number, you cannot do anything but
file taxes. And once we file taxes, the government
doesn't give us anything back. They keep our
taxes, right? But it's not to their convenience
to say, oh. Yeah, we're giving IT numbers to
all these undocumented people and they're not
taxpayers. And when they know that we are taxpayers
because an IT number exists, you know, those
are the myths and those are the things that I
had to encounter. And sometimes get really upset
that people don't know what they don't know,
but they assume things about my community. If
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Kalisa, this is so eye -opening. I know every
time that I talk to you, you always shed light
and help me to become less and less ignorant.
OK, ignorant of the experience of immigrants,
ignorant of the experience of Latino people uncovering
and helping me to better understand even the
different regions and areas and motivators of
Mexico and the journey and all of that stuff.
So that's one of the main reasons why I wanted
you to be on this show is because you were always
so clear about explaining things in a way that.
I and I believe my listeners will be able to
understand. Tell me a little bit more about what
does racism and discrimination look like for
the Latino community in particular? Oh, my goodness.
How does it look like going to the grocery store
and being very afraid that somebody who's English
speaker or from the Anglo community would usually
get discriminated by the Anglo community and
not other communities? to go to you and say,
well, go back to your country. And I am like
amazed by. Go back to your country. What that
really means, you know, when this was Mexico,
and I know that everyone knows that this was
Mexico and they steal our land from us, which
they tend to do. They tend, you know, the Anglo
community, the people in America, they tend to
go to other countries. They tend to steal from
other countries. And then they put it like they're
the saviors, right? For me, it has discrimination
as well in a life. And I always tell everyone
that when... And they call us intruders. You
know, I always say to them, you stole seven states
from us. Who is the intruder here? You know,
let's just be real. And that's why I'm here in
this podcast, because I knew that I was going
to express myself the way I feel and the way
things are right now with the new election. I
always tell everyone I got out of a domestic
violence relationship. But here I go. for another
four years in a mental abusive relationship because
our president, our leader, will talk about us
in a way that hurts us, not only physically,
but also mentally. So race and discrimination
is well in the life in this country. What I'm
totally amazed by that is that, again, this was
not Colorado. This was Colorado. Texas was not
Texas. It was Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming. No,
you know, it was not Wyoming. It was Wyoming,
right? But now we have to mention these states
in a different way because it's an American land.
But, you know, every time I walk in this land,
I'm like, I'm walking in my own land. And when
people say, go back to your country, I'm like,
I am in my country. I have dual citizenship.
I'm a Mexican and I'm also American. Take that.
Take it. Take it and make sure you chew on it
and think about it. Don't just let those be words
that float from one side of your head to the
other, but actually think on it. I just think
that it's also really interesting that you brought
up the conversation of this I -10 number and
being undocumented. Tell us a little bit more
about coming here in the trunk of a vehicle,
getting here, and then the paperwork and process
that's involved in being documented with an I
-10 number that they know you're here, they know
that you're working, they take your taxes, but
then calling you undocumented. Can you help that
process? I mean, it's about as clear as mud to
me. And there's a lot of propaganda in our media
and our political environment that makes it even
more confusing and divisive. Can you share us
a little bit more about what that process is
like when people cross the border and then they
have to go through this process? Yes. First of
all, to cross the border, even being undocumented,
you have to pay thousands of dollars because
you pay the guy that is helping you cross the
border. Their name is Coyote, in English, Coyote.
So the Coyote, you have to pay for him because
he's the one leading the way. You have to pay
around five to eight thousand dollars to get
to United States undocumented. Then once you
cross the border and you're here. You go and
get with a CPA or anyone that does your taxes,
you go and get an IT number. That IT number,
you're told to be used only to do taxes, not
to work. So when you come to United States and
you're not, and you don't have a social security
number, you either go out there and hustle a
social security number. Some people are selling
social security numbers and that's another couple
hundreds. And in the meantime, you're like, okay,
I want to be legit. I've been filing taxes. So
how can I become a citizen? And just to get a
consultation with an immigration lawyer, it costs
you $200 to $300 an hour just to get a consultation.
And then for them to take your case and say,
okay, you have a good case. Let's try to see
if you can be legit. It's around $20 ,000 to
$30 ,000. to become legal in this country. So
when people say to me, why they don't become
legal? Well, very few of us have $20 ,000 to
$30 ,000 to spare. And that's one case. What
about if you have five undocumented people in
your family? They don't charge you per family.
They charge you per person, right? So imagine
all the money that they need to spend. It's super
stressful for me to become a U .S. citizen. illegal
and i was undocumented for 12 years approximately
so it took me forever to become a u .s citizen
and paying making payments forever like around
25 000 i had to pay for for me to become a U
.S. citizen and finally be a U .S. citizen in
this land. And just when you become a U .S. citizen,
just when you think, oh my God, I made it, I'm
doing everything right, you still get called
Webeck, you still get called Beaner, you still
get called undocumented, you still get called
illegal, you still get called tortilla flipper.
So I have heard it all, my friend. Again. I mean,
this is why this show is called Questions You
Didn't Ask. A lot of people don't have these
conversations. They don't take the time to calm
themselves, put the rhetoric behind them and
speak to a person with a different experience
that they know nothing about. You know, we're
all, especially as Americans, I can speak for.
Concerned about our own personal struggles and
we've got plenty. And it's difficult for us to
make time and space in our heart and in our lives
to actually listen to what people are going through
and to recognize our own privilege of being born
here, of being. here for generations and not
having to spend this inordinate amount of money
in order to just be here. I mean, that's crazy
to me that you get an I -10 number and they say,
don't work, but pay taxes. Yes. That doesn't
make any sense. No, when I was told that and
I'm like, then why do I need this number if I
cannot work with this number? And they say, because
the government wants you to file taxes. And if
you want to become a U .S. citizen one day, you
better do what the government is telling you
to do. And I was like, OK, that doesn't make
sense. But, you know, it's kind of interesting
to me that. Everyone and a lot of people are
coming after the immigrants. And I'm always questioning
this. Why we don't go to the big corporations
that they're exploiting big, cheap labor? You
know what I mean? Like, we're not going after
them instead of the poor immigrants that don't
speak English, that they're undocumented. They're
afraid, you know. So why you keep hiring them
if we bother you so much, you know? And then
with the IT number, many, many years, many, many
years that I didn't get a penny back. Well, and
then now that I'm successful, I'm definitely
never going to get a penny back because it's
not getting worse for me, right? But, you know,
in the old times when I was really poor with
two kids, single mom, I never got that money
back because the government keeps it. But they
don't tell you that. What do you think are some
of the misconceived notions that immigrants have
about America before they get here? Oh, my goodness.
We all come here like. I think smiling because
we hear the stories that Americans throw dollars
in the streets. Those are the stories that we
hear. And then the Americans throw money in the
streets and then they have so many programs that
you don't have to buy food, that you can get
food for free. And also that is the land of the
freedom, of the freedom. So that you can speak
and say whatever you want to say. And that's
for sure. I know. No. Because when I did that,
I ended up being arrested. So I tell everyone
that American dream becomes a nightmare. You
know, like, it's not a dream anymore. This is
a nightmare. You know, I have been in the United
States for 27 years. And a lot of the people
tell me, especially immigrants, you're successful,
you're good. And what they just don't understand
is not because I'm successful, that doesn't mean
that I'm exempt from being discriminated. and
for being treated wrong. And what they don't
understand is that now I have a bigger responsibility
because I am the voice of the voiceless. So I'm
speaking for them, you know? Yes, ma 'am. I mean,
so many, so many, so many, so many things I want
to ask just based off of that. Where do you think
people get these ideas that we throw money in
the street? Like I'm thinking, yeah, sometimes
people are standing on the corner and we'll put
money in their cup. but we're not throwing money
in the street. Where do you think some of those
ideas and perceptions come from? When you are
raised in a little village in Mexico and you're
really, really poor, somebody from the States
come to our village and they might have $500
or $1 ,000, right? For me, for us, that's a baller.
That's like, damn, that's a lot of money. A thousand
dollars and transfer that into pesos. Oh, my
goodness. So they come to our little town with
a thousand dollars. They show off. They're looking
good and everything else. So we're like, oh,
my God, we want that. But what they forget to
say is that a thousand dollars doesn't take you
that far in United States, number one. And number
two, that you have to work day and night. Most
of us from the immigrant community work Sunday
to Sunday to make it in this country because
we have. to work 10 times harder than the white
folks. The white folks sometimes don't even do
nothing and they get promoted. And I'm like,
what the hell? Why is it that that's happening,
right? And we're over here busting our ass for
somebody, for one person to see us. And that's
inequities in there. That's unfair. But that's
the reality in the United States. So we get that
from people that come from the States and then
go and pretend like they're ballers in our little
hometown. And because we don't know better, girl,
we see somebody with $1 ,000, my God, that's
heaven. Remember, we make $100 a month. I think
that that is really important for people to understand.
that yes, there is a lot of people, you know,
it's like this whole social media world where
everything is just kind of like, look at me,
look at me. But nobody has really taken the time
to be honest about how they really feel and what
they're really going through and how much of
that is real and how much of that is just perception
and how fake people can be, right? I mean, I
remember I was fortunate to go to Malawi, Africa.
And I was there on a work trip. And I was speaking
with some professionals there and getting really
a good chance to get to know people. And there
was a gentleman who was just really enamored
with the United States and opportunities in the
United States. And I was not there to necessarily
discourage him. But when he started asking me
questions about income and salaries and this
and that, I tried to be honest with him. And
from his perspective, like you said, the exchange
rate of those numbers just seemed phenomenal
to him, right? And then I had to break it to
him. And I said, but rent is this much. And car
notes are this much. And then you have to pay
taxes. And then you have, I said, so what sounds
like a lot of money quickly becomes no money.
And so, you know, we're even dealing with that
right now, dealing with inflation. The salaries
that used to be considerable, comfortable, reasonable
salaries for a professional to live on is laughable
now. You know, I remember a time when making
$50 ,000 was a good salary. Now it's like you're
barely making it. And it wasn't that long ago.
And so that quick, quick, quick, quick, quick
increase in cost of living and the fact that
rent and mortgage has never gone down in this
country. We've never seen a decrease. We've never
seen a discount. I was just at a board meeting
and they were talking about how supporting families
who have disabilities. challenges with mental
health and substance use, there are certain things
that they can leverage and get discounts on.
But when people come to them and ask them for
help with rent, housing, utilities, there is
no opportunity to leverage because Duke Energy
or whoever your energy company is, the cost is
what the cost is. And there's no opportunity
to get a break on that. So even when you're talking
about advocates. Who are there to help and assist?
Like you were talking about, some people come
back home and they tell stories about how, you
know, you can get assistance with this and you
can get assistance with that. Well, there are
limitations to that. A lot of limitations to
that. How many organizations and nonprofits are
out here that offer people free food, but you
can only go once a month. Right. And it's not
enough to feed your whole family. It's just enough
to get through a few days out of the month. So
there's so many misconceptions, even within our
own community, even within the United States.
But then to add another border and another country
and another culture and another exchange rate,
the confusion just becomes a lot more thick.
So now I want to ask you about, you know, how
did your experience as an immigrant lead you
to fight for fair? health care, health equity,
and so on. You know, coming to this country,
27 years across the border in the trunk of a
car, when I came here, my ex -husband continued
to treat me the way that he was treating me in
Mexico. which he was beating me up once or twice
a week. And the reason why it was because I didn't
cook right or the house was not clean, things
like that, right? So when the last time that
he beat me up, he sent me to the hospital. He
broke my two legs and my two arms with a bat.
And I went into a coma and he flinged to Mexico
and he's deported for life. He was charged with
assault in third degree, something like that.
You know, he had so many charges because the
way he left me. So when I woke up at the hospital,
I remember seeing my family, seeing everyone.
And I was like, oh, my God, I need to wake up.
I need to go home. I'm going to get beat up because
how long have I been here? And the nurse looked
at me and the nurse is like, don't worry. Your
husband fleeing. He's not here no more. You're
going to sleep for a couple of days. And I was
like, no, I cannot sleep. I'm not allowed to
sleep. I need to go home. He's going to beat
me up. You don't understand. And then she was
like, no, I do understand. He's no longer with
you. So I stay in the hospital, sleep for days.
And then I started noticing how. You know, some
of the providers will treat me and will treat
me with a lot of respect and dignity. And I was
like, oh, my goodness, when one day maybe I can
help the community understand that is help out
there and that is good people out there. And
then I got out of the hospital and it was a journey
just to get a job. And remember, I never worked
in my life. I was undocumented. I was educated,
didn't speak a word in English when I came to
United States. So my journey begins there with
a lot of struggles. And I didn't understand what
a primary care doctor was or a safety net clinic
or federal qualified health center. All what
I knew is to run to the emergency room. So when
my kids were sick and with an ear infection,
I would run to the emergency room and I would
sit there for hours and hours and just see. that
they were taking other people before me. And
now I understand the why, because those were
emergencies and mine was not considered an emergency,
right? So I was waiting there for hours and hours
and I was so frustrated. And I said, Lord, if
you help me have some power, if you help me learn
how to speak the language, be documented, get
educated, please allow me to get all these things.
And if you help me, I will dedicate my life to
my community. And they said, be careful what
you ask the Lord for, because he gave me that
and more. Now I'm like, Lord, I have so much
power that I don't know what to do with it. And
I'm afraid, you know, because they're coming
after me now. Now, before I used to be a nobody.
Now I'm a threat to those who know that I'm highly
educated. I speak the language. I have my dual
citizenship, you know. So they're like, what?
You know, she survived all these. Barriers, right?
So out of frustration of the system and not understanding
the system, because I used to ask myself, if
I don't know what a primary care doctor is, I
bet that a lot of us don't know. If I didn't
know about a federal qualified health center,
I bet most of my people don't know that. So that's
why my passion of equity and being equitable
and fighting the good fights out there and just
when people think I'm done. We cannot assume
that immigrants and refugees know systems that
in the first place, they were never built for
BIPOC communities. No. No, they were not. We
all had our own ways of health and healing out
of necessity, especially in this country. And
had to build them ourselves because no one was
coming to save us, right? And we still hear that
in our communities that no one is coming to save
us. We have to save ourselves. Thank you for
joining us on Questions You Didn't Ask with me,
Nyesha Frey, and my guest, Julissa Soto. Tune
in next week as we continue our series, Ready
or Not, The Real Talk Black and Latino Communities
Need.