Complete up to the minute coverage every day. Read more on www.heysocal.com. Doja Cat debuts makeup line with LA-based BH Cosmetics
Cinematographers vote to authorize strike against AMPTP
Go to AnaheimPress.com for Anaheim Specific News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 06, 2021
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Arcadia-Monrovia VFW Post 2070 celebrates 90 years of community service
VOL. 79,
Latina small business owners face cultural, social challenges in LA County Rebekah Ludman becksludman@gmail.com
L
Manager Sherri Meyer and Commander Floyd Henderson are ready to welcome you to VFW Post 2070 this weekend. I Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
O
n Saturday, Oct. 2, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2070 Arcadia-Monrovia commemorates nine decades of offering support and services for all veterans especially those in Monrovia, Arcadia and Duarte. The VFW has a long and storied history and those who now occupy and command the Monrovia Post continue traditions their forefathers honored so deeply. That commitment is to help fellow veterans as their mission states:
“That the purpose of this Corporation shall be fraternal, patriotic, historical, charitable, and educational: to preserve and strengthen comradeship among its members; to assist worthy comrades; to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead; and to assist their widows and orphans; to maintain true allegiance to the Government of the United States of America, and fidelity to its Constitution and laws; to foster true patriotism; to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom, and to preserve and defend the United States from all her enemies.”
With two decades of war in Afghanistan now at an end, the work of helping those veterans of this conflict assimilate and return to civilian life can be challenging. One of the VFW’s most prominent struggles is to end veteran suicide which, despite a decrease in 2019, remains high at a rate of 31.6 per 100,000 in 2019 compared to 16.8 per 100,000 among non-veterans, according to data from the 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. In conjunction with the Monrovia Public Library, there are professional individuals
to offer advice and help at the Veterans Resource Center. The center is operated by skilled volunteers who can help veterans navigate the complicated systems involved in obtaining benefits and answer complex questions. And now, there are big plans afoot for this Saturday’s celebration — including Post 2070 Commander Floyd Henderson’s BBQ and a community Street Faire where you can get to know your fellow Monrovian’s who have served their country. See VFW Post page 3
NO. 38
atina small business owners in Los Angeles County are facing cultural and business-related challenges and turning them into learning opportunities. Izzy Singer, former president of the Latino Business Association at USC, says that Latinas get belittled by landlords and contractors more than others and they tend to be told “no” a lot more when they have an entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to being belittled and told “no” repeatedly, many women of color business owners have to face challenges like systematic racism, sexism, ageism, and a lack of resources. “It’s a little bit harder to get ahead in business when you’re surrounded by people who have a little bit of a leg up in terms of just resources and backgrounds,” Singer said. “Everyone just has all of these connections.” According to the Ninth Annual State of WomenOwned Businesses Report conducted by American Express, women-owned businesses have grown twice as fast as the overall population in the past five years. Women of color are starting businesses at a faster rate compared to the overall population. Many women of color starting these new businesses have found success, despite big businesses. Frank Aguirre, business administration department chair at East Los Angeles College, says that as many large- and medium-
sized businesses start to consolidate, there is a larger demand for different skill sets that many Latina entrepreneurs have. “Many Latina business owners realize that they face a lot of uncertainty to the traditional workforce,” Aguirre said. “So they need to go out and look for their own form of income through entrepreneurship.” In the last year, Latina business owners had the added challenge of COVID-19 and trying to keep their businesses afloat. A 2020 study conducted by Stanford University as part of their Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative showed that 86% of all Latinoowned businesses reported negative effects at the end of March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also found that white business owners were twice as likely to have their Paycheck Protection Program application approved compared to Latino business owners. Despite not having as much access to PPP loans, 63 percent of Latino business owners believed in June 2020 that they would be able to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. As Singer earned her business degree at USC, she recalled not seeing a lot of representation of Latinos. Singer said that this drives her to go out of her way to support Latina-owned businesses. “I think being from a Latin background, you want to tie yourself back to the culture See Latina business owners pg 3