Attorney Gabriela Castillo, born in El Salvador, wants to re-launch county agency C.A.S.A. and move it out of the basement where it is based to offer a better service to Hispanics in Nassau.
(Photo via Noticia LI)
Gabriela Castillo is a lawyer specializing in immigration with more than 10 years of experience in the community and non-profit organizations. She has worked in North Carolina and Long Island at associations such as SEPA Mujer and Make the Road New York, and directed the Long Island Civic Engagement Table.
Today, Castillo is the new executive director of C.A.S.A. (Coordinated Agency for Spanish Americans), a Nassau County agency seeking to re-launch its mission to improve the way it serves the Hispanic community.
“Two years ago, I took a different path when I started directing the Civic Engagement Table. I focused on a very interesting project working with the community of color, and increased civic participation – non-partisan, but educational and organizational – to motivate our communities to become interested in the election and in how politics work,” said Castillo in an exclusive interview.
How are you planning to remain active within the Hispanic community and present the concerns of the people to the new Nassau Executive Laura Curran?
“The important thing is to analyze the goal for which C.A.S.A. was created, which is to offer resources and information, to be a link between the local government, immigrant communities and community organizations. I want to have an evaluation of my agency, its original purpose, its budget, and see what has been done. Times have changed drastically at the national and local levels. People do not only need information but also advocacy. My job is to advise the executive, study local policy to see how it impacts the community, and make sure that other agencies are working with the community in a culturally sensitive manner.”
Do you have the team who will work with you at C.A.S.A.?
“Not yet. That is the first thing on my agenda. (…) I want to see the resumes and make sure that the people who apply for a position at C.A.S.A. have the right experience.
I want to see people who are activists in our community and organizers, people who are not afraid to go out in the street and spread accurate information. It is time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and work hard to get the community to understand what our purpose is and earn their respect. That is my vision: To lift this agency up and let people know about it.”
What types of services are available for people at C.A.S.A.?
“Historically, C.A.S.A. has taught English to the community and has had the resources to bring people from outside to offer information to people. I want to join forces with my friends in the struggle, such as the people of CARECEN and Make the Road. We must remember that we are home and business owners, and sometimes people have many questions about how the local government works, how mortgages work, [and we want to] make sure that we are the link connecting people with other government agencies.”
Will the C.A.S.A. offices stay in a basement?
“C.A.S.A. started out at a different building in Hempstead. Under the administration of Tom Suozzi, they moved the agency to 50 Main Street. Then, during Ed Mangano’s administration, the office was moved from the first floor to the basement. The first thing to do is evaluate why they made this decision and see how we can transfer C.A.S.A.’s office back to a place where the community has easier access.
If we want the community to be treated with the dignity and respect we deserve, the agencies working directly with the people need to be treated the same way. We need to see what other spaces we have available, but this definitely is a conversation I want to have with the executive.”
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What is your opinion on the president’s comments in which he called Haiti, El Salvador and African countries “shitholes”?
“It is a very sad situation to have people at high levels in the government who are speaking ill of vibrant communities such as Hispanics, Haitians, Africans. We have all come in different circumstances with the same goal of starting over in this country to improve the life of our families, of our children. We have been demonstrating the capabilities of our communities for a long time, and to hear the president express himself that way made many people in the country upset. It is disrespectful. He did not only offend our community but also our allies.”
