Riverhead Hispanic empowerment committee looks to build a bridge between community, local government

Coffee is a calling for Alexander Escobar, who opened his farm-to-cup Cafe Victoria in Riverhead in 2022.

Escobar, 45, of Riverhead, who was born in Guatemala City, counts himself lucky that he didn’t run into stumbling blocks but knows that’s an anomaly for other hopeful immigrant entrepreneurs.

“What I hear from the [Hispanic] community is: ‘We are afraid of going to the building department, because we don’t know if they’re going to be looking for something else,’” Escobar said recently.

A language barrier coupled with persistent fears over ramped-up federal immigration enforcement pose challenges for Latino residents seeking information and resources, Escobar said. But he’s seeking to change that through a newly formed town committee focused on Hispanic and Latino representation.

 The Riverhead Town Board approved the creation of the seven-member Hispanic Development, Empowerment and Education Committee at a meeting Feb. 4.  The volunteer board led by Escobar is tasked with making recommendations to “build a bridge” between local government and the growing Hispanic community to improve quality of life, according to the resolution.

About 18.7% of Riverhead’s 35,723 residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. State education data from last year shows 64% of students in Riverhead schools are Hispanic or Latino.

Hoping to address challenges

Through the new committee, Escobar hopes to address systemic challenges for Hispanic entrepreneurs by providing mentorship, workforce development and networking opportunities.

He said Latinos are hardworking people who may be deterred by bureaucratic processes like navigating permits, licenses and insurance.

“They save money because they want to open up businesses and achieve the American dream,” Escobar said. “Then they find out it’s not that easy.”

Town officials applauded the formation of the committee, which they said would foster unity and allay fears some Hispanic residents may have about doing business at Town Hall.

“Even if you were born and raised here and familiar with town government, it can be difficult to navigate,” Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said in an interview.

He acknowledged that fear is heightened in the community because of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.

Hubbard’s administration has said that the town “stands firmly behind” Trump’s immigration policies, though town police will not handle immigration or deportation proceedings.

Hubbard said there should be “no fear level” about interacting with town officials.

“That’s not what we’re about,” he said at a meeting last month. “I like to think of Riverhead as one community, and it’s really not right now.”

Plans to meet monthly

The committee also aims to provide educational resources, language and social support programs. The other members are Escobar’s business partner Monserrat Ruiz, a dentist; Riverhead Central School District office employee Annaly Kess; former Guatemalan diplomat Edgar Mejia; Pastor Elias Salcedo of the New Jerusalem Church in Riverhead; consultant and green energy strategist Daniel Sullivan; and East Coast Nurseries managing partner Gary Vogel.

The committee plans to meet monthly, and meetings will be open to the public, officials said.

Escobar assembled the group with town Councilman Ken Rothwell, who will serve as its liaison.

“It makes you sit back and think: Am I doing right by everyone? Am I truly representing everybody within the town?” Rothwell said in an interview.

Rothwell hopes the committee will lead to more positive interactions at Town Hall. One of the committee’s first priorities will be discussing ways to translate the town website and key town forms and documents into Spanish.

The councilman also asked the committee for feedback on how town-sanctioned events can be more inclusive of Hispanic heritage, and encouraged collaboration with existing groups like the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force and Chamber of Commerce.

After meeting several committee members at a town meeting last month, Councilwoman Denise Merrifield said they were “terrific” role models for other immigrants.

“It’ll only bring more people that will follow in your footsteps and succeed in our community,” she said.