Celebrating Hispanic Heritage: Meet Members of OHLA’s Executive Board
The Organization of Hispanic and Latin Americans (OHLA) is an employee association founded in 2022 to promote and provide opportunities for any interested NYCHA employees to learn about and experience Hispanic and Latin American cultures.
From September 15 to October 15, the U.S. celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month in recognition of the contributions of Hispanic people and Americans with ancestry from Spanish-speaking countries. But year-round, the members of OHLA work to educate, celebrate, and share their culture with their fellow employees through meetings, events, trips to Atlantic City, and participation in NYC events such as walking in the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
OHLA was founded by Franklin Velez, Associate Staff Analyst in Human Resources, who formerly served as President and Vice President. OHLA’s current President is Joseph Pesante, Supervisor of Office Machine Operations in General Services. (For more information or to join OHLA, email ohla.ea@nycha.nyc.gov.)
“Overseeing the creation of OHLA has been one of my favorite and most cherished accomplishments,” Mr. Velez said. “I look forward to seeing and/or hearing what each new board and generation bring to help expand the organization. It is my hope that OHLA lives well beyond my lifespan and that it remains to foster positive change, allowing our coworkers to learn and experience our culture, all while bringing unity throughout the Authority. Thank you to all that help this dream become a reality.”
Mr. Pesante is proud to work with a talented team on OHLA leadership and activities; he said, “Edith, Shaheeda, Frances, Nancy, and Joan are not only valued members of the NYCHA workforce but are invaluable, amazing members of OHLA and specifically our executive board.”
NYCHANow has previously featured Mr. Velez and Mr. Pesante, so let’s now meet the women behind OHLA:
Edith Irizarry-Oviedo
Career Counselor/Internship Administrator, Human Resources
OHLA Vice President
NYCHA employee for 35 years
We have a large number of NYCHA employees who are of Hispanic descent, and we’ve had many in high profile titles; between 1992 to 2009, five of our NYCHA chairs were of Hispanic descent. I was a member of the Hispanic Society for more than 25 years and I’ve assisted with the Language Bank for many years. I collaborated with Franklin on the organizations’ s name; he’s the godfather (Padrino) of OHLA and I’m the godmother (Madrina).
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to show our accomplishments. People wonder why it starts in the middle of a month, and it’s because many Central and South American nations celebrate their independence days around September 15. It ends in the middle of October because Dia de la Raza is on the 12th, which celebrates the indigenous and Spanish heritage.
It’s important to me and my children to be active and share my culture and heritage with other people. My mom is from Yauco, a little town next to Ponce that if you blink you might miss it. It’s not just about the colors of our flag. I like people to know about our history, such as who was the first governor of Puerto Rico? How many islands make up Puerto Rico? What year did we become citizens of the United States? Every Veterans Day, I talk about The Borinqueneers [a Puerto Rican regiment of the U.S. Army that fought in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War]. Many people don’t know that a lot of our Puerto Rican soldiers were at the forefront and part of this history.
What I love about our culture is our sense of camaraderie and how we come together, especially for holidays. I love how we have many days of holidays; for instance, Dia de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day), also known as the Epiphany, is a very popular holiday celebrated throughout the entire Latino community and its countries. I love getting together on Christmas and making pasteles (a banana leaf-wrapped tamale filled with root vegetables and meats); we have an entire assembly line of family members putting them together, which has become our annual tradition year after year.
Shaheeda Santiago
Resident Buildings Superintendent, Office of Mold Assessment and Remediation
OHLA Chief of Staff
NYCHA employee for 13 years
Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for Hispanics to tell the story of where they’re from, where they’ve been, and how far they’ve come. We can share about our roots, and it’s something to look forward to and celebrate. We celebrate who we are.
My parents are Puerto Rican. My dad came to New York from Aguadilla in his early 20s, and he had to rebuild himself here. I was born here, but we went back to Puerto Rico every year. My dad is retired and moved back to the island. He’s finishing building his house there. My mother was born in New York but lived in Puerto Rico. Growing up I loved that we were forced to respond to my father in Spanish because he didn’t speak English. I’m happy I’m bilingual, and it also helps me here at NYCHA when I’m able to communicate with residents in Spanish.
One thing I love about our culture is that we always put family first before anything — my dad left his life behind to follow my mom here. My brother was little at the time they came to New York, and both my parents worked extremely hard to build a life here for us.
I’ve been proud to do volunteer work for my community. With my church, I volunteered with doing a pantry collection after Hurricane Maria so we could send supplies. I’m proud to be able to help in any way I can. I really enjoyed being part of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and I’m looking forward to doing other Hispanic country’s parades and supporting mom and pop small businesses through OHLA.
Frances Rodriquez
Secretary IV, Human Resources
OHLA Treasurer
NYCHA employee for 38 years
Hispanic Heritage Month means a time to show who we are and the many, many things that we can do. It’s a time to show our pride.
My father’s family was from Ponce, my area was San Anton, my mother was born in Brooklyn, my stepfather is from Humacao, and my husband’s family is from Juana Díaz. I am the oldest of three children. I was born in Puerto Rico, and my brother and sister were born in New York after we moved here. I love going back to Puerto Rico. I try to go back a couple of times a year, and I like that now my granddaughter wants to go back to visit, too. To all the people reading this: Visit PR and experience each part of the island.
Being from Puerto Rico, or even any island, I think it’s important to teach your kids the culture and customs so they can go forward with it. If they have it instilled in them, they will continue. It’s about showing them the past so they bring it to the future. Puerto Rico is a small island; you can drive from point A to point B in four hours, but there’s so much richness in our culture – from the food, the movies, theater, music, and art. It’s important to keep our roots alive. We have to plant the seeds in our children so they can continue growing. I have three daughters, and I no longer have to cook. They all cook very well, and it makes me so proud because people would ask me to make a certain dish – and I can say that one of my daughter’s knows how to make that now.
Nancy Ortiz
Community Coordinator, Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability
OHLA Sergeant-At-Arms
NYCHA employee for 3 years and Vladeck Houses Resident Association President for 18 years
Hispanic Heritage Month means I get to share stories of my family and their plight for a new life in New York City. My father is from the beautiful mountains of Corozal and my mother is from a small vibrant town, Comerío. Both of my grandparents came to New York City and lived in a tenement building on Delancey Street in the Lower East Side. Ironically, three brothers on the fifth floor were smitten by three sisters on the second floor! Our family was very close and, thanks to my Mawela, we all followed in service, whether it was military, public, medical, or legal.
I honor my culture with food, food, and more food. Our culture is about food, music, dance, serving the community, and keeping the culture alive with music and arts. It’s important to teach our children and grandchildren the history of Puerto Rico, because being Puerto Rican is not just about the yearly parade but also about the history. It’s about people such as Albizu Campo, Lolita Lebron, and the Young Lords. It’s about Congress passing the Jones Act in 1917 that made Puerto Ricans citizens of the United States and then shortly thereafter passing the Selective Service Act of 1917, which required all men ages 21 to 30 to register for military service. Over 18,000 Puerto Rican men fought in World War I for the United States, followed by WWII, and the Vietnam War, where Jorge A. Otero Barreto, the “Puerto Rican Rambo” as we called him, served five tours and is seen as a hero.
Joan Akers
Administrative Manager, Queens/Staten Island Property Management
OHLA Executive Secretary
NYCHA employee for 35 years
I’m originally from England and my parents are West Indian. My dad is from St. Vincent and my mother is from Barbados. We recently found out that my great-grandfather was Cuban. It’s wonderful to be part of so many different cultures.
There’s no one alive in my family to tell me about the Cuban side, so it is interesting learning from OHLA the Hispanic culture. The meaning of Hispanic Heritage Month has changed, because now it means learning about the culture I didn’t know I was part of. It means I get to learn more about myself and other cultures. I love Spanish food, and it was great to go to the Puerto Rican Day Parade, but I’d like to know more about how Puerto Rico became Puerto Rico and more about Cuban history. Being part of OHLA is going to teach me a lot. It’s very interesting to learn the culture.
This is my first year on OHLA and there’s so much more I want to learn. I’d like to do a potluck here in our office in the borough office to celebrate.
