{"id":5060806,"date":"2022-02-11T17:41:10","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T17:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rilatinonews.com\/?p=5060806"},"modified":"2022-02-11T17:41:10","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T17:41:10","slug":"riln-opinion-tomas-avila","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/riln\/2022\/02\/11\/riln-opinion-tomas-avila\/","title":{"rendered":"RILN Opinion+: Tom\u00e1s \u00c1vila"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RILN Opinion+: Tom\u00e1s \u00c1vila\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aPjQxl9Fub8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to another episode of RILN Opinion+ where we talk about major issues the Latinx and underrepresented communities face in the Rhode Island community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week we spoke with Tom\u00e1s \u00c1vila, Associate Director for the Office of Rhode Island Office of Diversity, Equity, and Opportunity (ODEO). Associate Director \u00c1vila works to diversify the workforce in Rhode Island and make the work environment more inclusive and welcoming for all identities. \u201cPart of the office\u2019s responsibility is to diversify the state employment so it will reflect the demographics of Rhode Island,\u201d explained \u00c1vila of the role of ODEO. \u201cThe second part of it is to make sure we recruit and diversify a set of individuals who can potentially be employed by the state.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Associate Director \u00c1vila assists minorities pursuing to build businesses and making sure they receive equal opportunity. \u201cWe have the responsibility of the minority business enterprise and in that end, it is our responsibility to make sure that they get their due fair share of the investment that the state does in expenses,\u201d explains \u00c1vila. \u201cBack in 1986, the state passed a law that said that a minority community is entitled to ten percent of all the expenses that the state does.\u201d Associate Director \u00c1vila has the responsibility to make sure minority communities receive the same funding and increase their opportunity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pandemic caused the ten percent deal to minority business enterprises to be suspended due to an executive order placed by the governor. Fortunately, the executive order has been reversed. Another major issue was ODEO being able to recruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within the last forty years, Rhode Island has become more diverse. \u201cBy 2043 Rhode Island is going to be a majority-minority state,\u201d states Associate Director \u00c1vila as he explained the perpetual growth of diversity in Rhode Island. Within the current minority, the Latinx population is the fastest-growing population as they have grown by 45 percent while the Asian community has grown by 18 percent and the African American community has grown by 7 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCorporations and governments have a responsibility to actually help and make sure those individuals can grow,\u201d \u00c1vila calls the state government to create equal opportunity for the marginalized. \u201cWith Floyd&#8217;s death, the consciousness was raised that we need to be more intentional and practical.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rhode Island faces the same problems in terms of workplace opportunity as the rest of the country. It all goes with the way we recruit. \u201cWhether intentional or unintentional it has limited the growth of the minority community,\u201d explains \u00c1vila on the glass ceiling that exists in minorities.&nbsp; \u201cManagers need to break the mode of hiring individuals who look like them and hire people who are qualified.\u201d This will lead to hiring people who will produce the results that managers want and fulfill the qualifications they are looking for. This is the key to closing the gap between them and us.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Office of Diversity, Inclusivity, and Opportunity at Rhode Island: <a href=\"http:\/\/odeo.ri.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/odeo.ri.gov\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jobs in Rhode Island: https:\/\/www.employri.org\/vosnet\/Default.aspx<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Associate Director for the Office of Rhode Island Office of ODEO on supporting minority businesses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5060807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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Director for the Office of Rhode Island Office of ODEO on supporting minority businesses","authors":[{"term_id":6011,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"bryan-zapata","display_name":"Bryan 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