Gunnison Mayor Plata on Hispanic Heritage Month

On Sept. 8, the Gunnison City Council proclaimed Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month.

I spoke with Mayor Diego Plata regarding Hispanic Heritage Month and his experience of immigrating to the United States from Venezuela at the age of 9. Plata shared his story of growing up in a new country, finding his place in the community and eventually running for public office.

His experience offers a personal perspective on immigration, belonging and the many ways newcomers become part of the communities of the Gunnison Valley.

Plata: "Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with Welcoming Week; this is a valuable coincidence because so many of our residents are of Hispanic Heritage."

Waters: I understand you immigrated to the US from Venezuela; do you consider yourself to be Hispanic?

Plata: "I do, yes, absolutely—one of the major campaign points for me. When I ran for city council in 2019, I felt that diversity on the council would be of great value. I speak to diversity; yes, I am Hispanic, and I do have a connection to the Hispanic community for myself, as a father and someone who recently moved to Gunnison. I felt that a different perspective would be of value to the city council. Yes, I absolutely consider myself Hispanic; I proudly tell my daughters that, and try to do all I can to ingrain the culture in their upbringing, and Welcome Week provides a great opportunity to do that. We do get to experience the culture that is here in the Gunnison Valley."

Waters: Let me read part of a poem by Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus, which is on a plaque at the foot of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Waters: Metaphorically, the words 'the golden door' are in reference to the United States, to America as this beacon and place of opportunity and freedom.

As someone who came to the United States from Venezuela, can you speak about those words in the poem and how they may resonate with the Hispanic community in the Gunnison Valley?

Plata: "Absolutely. Those are widely known words which resonate not only to myself, but I believe resonate to many who emigrated to the United States in search of bigger and better opportunities. My parents were very much seeking what I call the 'American Dream.' Venezuela was going through a time where the economy was sinking, turmoil was notable, and for them, they were 30 and 32; my sister and I were 9 and 11. For our parents to provide an opportunity to have bigger dreams and bigger options, and our future was a key driver why we came.

At various times after immigrating, the American culture was difficult for them to really become Americanized or accustomed to the US. They planned to go back to Venezuela because it was so challenging to become an American. Nonetheless, they stuck it out. Going back to the poem you mentioned, it would have made them more tired and, in many ways, hungrier. The opportunities there were quickly dwindling. Seeking those opportunities here, regardless of how challenging it was for them to become more Americanized, was kind of their goal. I think I can say many in our community feel the same: opportunities back home, wherever they came from, may not be as generous to their ability to thrive in their local environment.

"A big part of me really sees the words on the foot of the Statue of Liberty as something that can also be said here in Gunnison, although we don't have a great statue to put them on."

This interview has been edited slightly for clarity and length.