(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Funding for this episode of Que Pasa NJ with Carlos Medina has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

The Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative 825.

New Jersey Transit.

ROI NJ Business Magazine.

- Hola familia and welcome back.

It's summer and we have an exciting episode featuring three powerful women in business, politics, and film.

First, we'll chat with Assemblywoman, Jessica Ramirez of New Jersey's 32nd legislative district.

Next we have Hilda Mera, CEO of S&A Auto Centers, now with two locations.

And finally, we'll be joined by award-winning filmmaker, Noemi Figueroa Soulet on the all Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the The Borinqueneers.

Stay tuned for amazing conversations and inspiring stories.

Let's get started.

(upbeat music) Our next guest is Jessica Ramirez, not only a successful attorney, but this year she joined New Jersey's General Assembly representing the 32nd District.

Welcome to Que Pasa, Jessica.

- Thank you for having me.

- I'm gonna put a quick image on the screen of you and I when we worked on the launch of the pilot for Images/Imagenes that made its comeback about five years ago now.

- So much fun.

I learned so much.

- That was a lot of fun.

Proud Boricua, born on the island.

- Yes, yes.

- Wow.

Tell me about the journey coming to the tri-state area.

- Sure, so I was born from (indistinct), this little, little tiny mountainous town where really (speaks a foreign language).

My parents were born there, I was born there.

We left the island when we're about, when I was about eight or nine years old for sure, because looking for a better opportunity.

My dad was a maintenance man at a school.

My mom came here and cleaned rooms and you know, the American dream for sure.

The first person to go to college, let alone law school.

I always say that I never met a lawyer in my life, ever prior to being in college.

Every summer, I would get shipped to Puerto Rico because we didn't have anybody to take care of us.

So Puerto Rico is definitely a big part of my life still because every summer I was there and then I went back in high school and then I did a semester in college.

So have to claim both for sure, a Jersey girl, but a Boricua at heart.

- So successful attorney and now newly elected member of the assembly in the state legislature.

Tell me how it's been for you.

- So far so good.

I'm what, seven months in?

I've never been an elected official, so it's definitely brand new as you know, I'm, my day job, I'm a full-time attorney, a litigator.

So it's different and not different because I still feel like I'm fighting for people and fighting for causes that I believe in.

But it's definitely different meeting a lot of lobbyists, worrying about a lot of constituent services.

But I do have a really great team that helps me out and everyone's just been really amazing so far.

- So you talk a lot about, you know, things that drive you, the passion giving back to the community.

How have you taken your passions and applied for to be a member of committees that cover topics that you're passionate about?

Have you landed on the committees that you feel good about?

- The way it works, you get assigned the committees.

- Okay.

- You do put in for committees, but you don't necessarily get them.

That's something that I learned.

I did sign up for the Veterans Committee.

My brother is a veteran, he's a disabled veteran.

I come from a family of veterans and I always say this all the time, as a Puerto Rican, we have a high, high percentage of our boys and women going into the military.

I'm also in the committee for women's issues as well, so.

- So looking forward to, you know, these assignments, are there any priorities or any specific legislation you're able to talk about that you're planning or that you're co-sponsoring with another colleague?

- Definitely, during my day job, we litigate cases against the prison systems, against hotels, against the Catholic church and a lot of the different organizations that tragically have been involved in the abuse of minor children and women.

That is the legislation that I definitely am interested in for sure, and trying to pass.

And of course, workers' rights, our boys and and girls and our people are building this great country and it's very difficult and sad when they get injured at work, when they're really just treated horribly.

When there's also, it always do a lot of human trafficking cases and definitely we concentrate on the sexual assault side, but we're seeing so much human trafficking in the work related construction as well.

So it's very difficult, and also informing our people that it's okay.

I think that as Latinos, our cultures, we suffer from ay Bendito, right?

Ay Bendito, I don't wanna sue my employer.

Ay Bendito, he's given me a check.

So what, I lost my hand, you know, I just can't sue them.

And having to teach them that you're not suing your employer, that you're opening up an injury case and trying to make them think and believe that they're not going against someone that actually gave them a little, gave them a little bone.

And I think about when we arrived here, when you don't speak the language, like you know nothing, you know nothing.

Like when I think back of my parents and what we went through, like silly things.

My mom lost her check and she came home and she was bawling.

She's like, didn't know the process of how to get her check back.

You know, me being the 12-year-old girl and being the interpreter at the welfare office or whatever agency.

So when I think back of how we knew nothing and we're just kind of blindly going and living through society, like it really touches me.

It makes me emotional just talking about it.

Hey, this is what, this is the information, this is what's going on, these are your rights.

So I try to live my life that way.

Even, you know, with my clients and my personal life, just give them on one-on-one, this is why the law started.

This is what the law used to be and this is why it's changed.

So then they're not going blindly through, you know, through life.

- What you mentioned about being a translator.

Quite often when I'm with colleagues of the Hispanic Bar Association, I've heard that story over and over where almost their introduction to law was reading a contractor reading complex documents that their parents couldn't understand.

- I'm laughing 'cause, yes.

- It's amazing that now, now that skill, you know, paid off.

I have one last question 'cause you're an amazing role model.

- Thank you.

- Can you give a message to some of our viewers that want, you know, they see you, they're seeing all the good things you're doing, but they're struggling, they're unsure, they're nervous, you know, can you give them some wisdom?

- I can speak about what's kept me through.

It's scary, life is scary.

Being in a country that you don't speak a language.

Going to law school, being the first person, being the first at anything and everything is scary, but do it in spite of being scared.

Thinking that you can't do it in spite of whatever bad thoughts you're having in your mind, do it in spite of that because you're going to be resilient, and being resilient and really believe in yourself because you have to.

- Assemblywoman, keep making us proud and thank you for joining Que Pasa.

- Thank you for having me.

(upbeat music) - Thanks to Wells Fargo for sponsoring our small business segment featuring Hilda Mera of S&A Auto.

She's a young lady, challenging the norm who has opened two auto repair shops in New Jersey.

Thank you for inspiring us and welcome to Que Pasa, Hilda.

- Thank you for having me here, Carlos.

- I understand you and your husband were both born in Ecuador, but you met here, tell me that story.

- Yes, actually we met in 1999.

Since then, we are together, basically, we have three kids.

In 2013, we decided to open our business.

It was hard for us because we didn't know anything about running a business, but we just took off fate, I will say.

And just open.

- So the name of the business is S&A Auto.

You do auto repairs?

- Correct.

- Now how many locations do you have?

- We have, so far we have two.

- Where are they located?

- Oh, one is located in Newark and the other one is located in Kearney.

- Now S&A, does that have any relevance?

What do those initials stand for?

- S&A, which is that because of our kids, two boys.

- Tell me the experience of running a business.

You said you didn't have a lot of experience in business and do picking a career that's really male dominated in auto repair.

How has that journey been for you?

- It wasn't easy at the beginning.

We still in that process, especially for me being a woman in that dominated male business is very sometimes frustrating.

I have tried many times to talk business with men in the industry to see if we can join, to see if we can do, you know, subcontracting, things like that.

And as soon as they see me, they don't really believe or they don't really wanna talk to me.

And I have especially occasion that I went with my husband to this shop to ask if we can do business together.

And I start talking and he just start talking to my husband.

I feel bad the moment, but that actually push me and lift me to do, say no, I can do this.

And I always show him and I always show everybody and I always show myself that I can do this.

So, you know, that actually I took it not negatively, but a positive in a way, in a positive way so I can, you know, do better and be a model for my community, especially women.

- Sure, so you took what many would perceive as a negative situation, but turned it into a positive and a motivational force for your business.

That's a great story.

Tell me about, I know part of your entrepreneurial journey, you went to the statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and you participated in their Latina entrepreneurship Training Series, known as LETS.

Tell me how that impacted your life, the tools that it gave you to help you start the business.

- That I remember that we took that class during the pandemic, and it was online.

Was not easy, but actually taking that class helped me to work on the business, and I took the advantage that we were during the pandemic and I was at home and actually put things in place and start working to, you know, growth the business basically.

So that program really helps and I suggested anybody you know, who's interested.

- Free of charge because of people like Wells Fargo who participate and are one of the sponsors.

You've been getting a very good reputation in industry because you've been teaching free classes geared to educate women on the process of going to a mechanic shop and hopefully not having the experience you had where they talked to the husband and not to the wife.

Tell me about what motivated you to teach those classes and how they have been going.

- That idea came out because of a customer was a women.

She came to our shop one time and she was kind of like frustrated.

She wanted to cry, she was really, you know, upset.

She had taken this car and somebody told him that it, told her that it was the transmission that it needs to be changed.

So in our shop, they have to take it to the road to test the transmission was totally, totally fine.

Since that day, you know, I kind of got upset as well.

I know I have my husband, you know, who's a mechanic, but I was like, okay, why they do that to women?

So since that day we took, you know, that idea and we've been doing that while women are in the shop.

We've been explaining to them how that works.

You know, in our company is actually innovating trust, and that's what we've been doing with women.

- You've been recognized by various organizations personally, like Latina Style, but also your company S&A Auto won a business of the year award.

Tell me, what do these honors mean to you and how do they help propel your business?

- I couldn't believe to be honest, but then I said, why not?

Right, and small business woman trying to survive, trying to drive in this business, I deserve it.

So that means for me that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Actually, being an example, I will say for other women.

But me having that recognition, that award for such a organization, it means a lot.

- You bring up a real important point.

The Hispanic community often and especially women, they feel unworthy of recognition and awards.

So when you said I deserve it, that makes me proud, 'cause you do deserve it.

But the acceptance of that is sometimes difficult 'cause we're taught to be humble and not ask for anything.

So thank you for accepting an award and as a role model, give some words of wisdom to other young Latinas that are thinking about starting a business and nervous.

But they see you here today and they're inspired.

So give them a little pep talk, so to speak.

- Well, I will say, you know, if you have the idea, just go for it.

A lot of help is out there.

It's just up to us to look for it, knock doors.

And based on my experience, I have knocked many, many doors, and many of them has been closed to my face.

But that actually, I learned to accept it, that that it means it's not the right door.

So, and it happened, if I take it in a positive way help me to continue knocking doors and getting to the right, you know, people, the door it takes me to another one, to another one and another one.

And I'm actually achieving the goal that I'm, you know, that I have, which is actually franchising the business and also become a model for other women.

So what I, my advice would say to all the women out there, just do it.

I know sometimes we don't have the support of our family, but we have the support of our community, our organizations.

So it's just up to you, take the opportunity.

- Thank you for joining us today and thank you for being a role model.

- No, thank you for having me here, Carlos.

- Again, this segment was brought to you by Wells Fargo.

Thank you Wells Fargo for sponsoring this small business segment.

(upbeat music) Our last guest is Noemi Figueroa Soulet.

The producer, director, and writer of the acclaimed documentary, The Borinqueneers.

The film tells the story of the all Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, the only Hispanic segregated unit in US Army history.

This year marks the regiment's 125th anniversary.

Noemi, welcome to Que Pasa.

- Gracias.

- The film, The Borinqueneers, which I've seen several times.

An amazing film that really depicts the heroism of the 65th Infantry Unit during the Korean War, which was primarily a Puerto Rican unit.

What led you to The Borinqueneers?

What led you to that amazing story that you were able to tell so well?

- I always call it my midlife crisis.

(laughs) Because had I known going in that it would take me nine years longer than the Korean War, which is three years, to raise the funds and finish it.

I don't know that I would've started it to begin with, but it was, you know, bumping into the story.

I was born in Puerto Rico, but I was raised in New York City and I had never heard of the 65th.

And my original idea was to do a documentary film about the Puerto Rican military service.

So as I was doing my research, I literally bumped into the story of the 65th, and when I learned so much about them and they were the only Hispanic segregated unit in army history, I decided to focus the story on their story.

- (speaks a foreign language) - I feel like it would be my obligation too, to fight for the country.

Even if I'm Puerto Rico, you know, I'm American too.

- Hispanics have always played an important role in history in many of the wars that fought here in the United States.

- When you were doing your research, tell me about percentages roughly of Hispanics that have served the country, you know, since, you know, since the Civil War.

- I'm not familiar with the percentages, but I know that they haven't been involved in every US war from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War on up, and particularly the Puerto Rican military experience, which many people are not aware of that back then, they were US colony.

They, you know, they are subjected to the draft during wartime, but they cannot vote for the commander in chief.

But thousands and thousands of Puerto Ricans have served loyally, bravely in many, many wars, and many have made it their careers.

You know, a very high percentage, that I have, a rough unscientific percentage that I created for my database.

It's about 30% of them made the military their careers.

That means at least 20 years or more of service.

- What message do you give to younger generations about the bravery of this particular unit?

- There was a danger that legacy would've been forgotten along with the forgotten war, which is how the Korean War is viewed.

So I felt that it was very important to document this story and it is to educate future generations as well as current generations as well as Puerto Ricans and non Puerto Ricans because many people had never heard of the 65th or of their service.

And I think it's important not only to pay tribute to their service, but to know of those who went before us and paved the way.

- As somebody who's in the industry, I'm really proud and a little surprised you were able to get the legendary Hector Elizondo to voice the English version of the DVD.

Tell me how you worked your magic to get Hector involved on this project.

- You know, that was a no-brainer because Hector was born in the west, west New York City, west side.

And I sent a letter to his agent expressing an interest in him being the narrator.

He called me, he called me on the phone at my house to say, to tell me all these great stories that he knew himself because he was a young man when many of those veterans were returning from the Korean War to New York City, 'cause there were many New Yoricans that were drafted as well.

And he told me these great stories that he would see them wearing the uniforms, you know, and people would flock to them 'cause they were the little celebrities.

I think he also mentioned he had a cousin that had been in the Chosen Reservoir, the Marines that were surrounded that the 65th were instrumental in helping them retreat.

So he was very familiar.

He came on board pretty much immediately and I asked for a letter of interest that I could use for fundraising, he provided it.

And then it took a couple of years before I was able to call him and say that we were ready now to record it and that we had an agreement with PBS.

So it was, you know, he was very loyal waiting throughout those years and he came on board immediately.

- Can you tell me about the park that Be Peace is trying to raise funds for in Perth Amboy?

I know there's a five, five or seven acres site in Perth Amboy that the idea is to have a Borinqueneers Park to celebrate the 65th Infantry Unit.

- Yes, this is being spearheaded by our chairman of the Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance, Sam Delgado, who is a former marine, I don't think you say former, once a marine, always a marine, a major.

And there's some land that was donated and Perth Amboy, New Jersey, which has a very large Puerto Rican community and they're planning not only a park, but a monument.

And there's also a whole educational aspect to do all kinds of programs, you know, to educate people about the legacy of The Borinqueneers.

So this fundraiser, which will be on September 21st, is the launching of a campaign to raise the $5 million that they need to make this park a reality.

And their partners involved, which is the New York statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey Veterans Chamber of Commerce.

And I will be in attendance, I will be showing my film and we're gonna have some other special invited guests and we recommend that you be there or be you be square, as they say.

It'll be a wonderful event.

And there are different price points including a VIP price point, which will include a reception, a beautiful VIP reception.

- A little bird told me that two of the big names were two actors that are veterans.

One is J.W.

Cortes and David Zayas both alumni of the Que Pasa Familia, which you are also now.

So,, yeah, I'm going to put some information and the graphic on the screen, so if people are interested, you could go to the website, but it looks to be an amazing event to get to meet you.

Are you bringing any material, any of your books or anything?

- Not that I know of, but I will be presenting a PowerPoint presentation with graphics before the screening of the one hour PBS version and after, because of follow up and update of all the wonderful things that have happened, including the unit receiving the Congressional gold medal.

So yes, and hopefully we'll have the attendance of a living Borinqueneer who is a Perth Amboy resident who is Irving Machado, 92-year-old.

Which we hope to make that park a reality while he's still with us.

Well I was gonna say something, I forgot.

Go ahead, you were gonna say something.

- [Carlos] So Irving Machado, you gotta hang on till September 21st my friend.

We need you.

- Yes, it's gonna be a wonderful event, and it's gonna be at the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which is a beautiful venue where the start of the film industry began in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

- I love it, I love it.

- Our website, you can provide that information.

- We'll put the website on the screen for everybody to check it out.

Sam has also been on the show, he was on last year talking about the project.

It's good to know that it's moving forward and I'm proud that Que Pasa is actually one of the partners on the project also.

So I'll be there that evening as well.

So-- - well, I'm very appreciative of the New Jersey community.

I consider myself an honorary New Jerseyan because when I was struggling to raise the money for the film, I was going to New Jersey constantly for fundraisers and events.

And I'm very appreciative of the support that New Jersey has always provided for the film.

- Noemi, thank you for being a role model.

Thank you for producing this amazing film that tells a very important story, God bless you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you everyone for tuning in.

Don't forget, you can catch up on all five seasons of Que Pasa on pbs.org.

Stay connected and follow us on social media @quepasanj for updates and behind the scene content.

See next time, Familia.

- [Announcer] Funding for this episode of Que Pasa NJ with Carlos Medina has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

The Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative 825.

New Jersey Transit.

ROI NJ Business Magazine.

Thanks to the statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

Find out more about our familia at shccnj.org.

This has been a production of the Modesto Educational Foundation.

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