Adrian Rivera-Reyes, an out gay Latinx Philadelphia resident, just became one of 15 new appointees as a commissioner for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Committee on Latino Affairs.
The new commissioners were sworn in at a ceremony at the state Capitol on Jan.10.
“Pennsylvania is built on a foundation of inclusion and diversity, and the Latino community is an important part of our commonwealth’s history and our future,” Gov. Wolf said in a release.
“There is a tremendous need to hear from Latinos on everything from healthcare and education to economic development and the census, and I look forward to working with the commissioners to create a Pennsylvania where everyone can thrive.”
Rivera-Reyes ran for Philadelphia City Council in 2019 as a Democratic Socialist who prioritizes LGBTQ communities, people of color, the working class and young people. He grew up in Puerto Rico as part of a working-class family and earned his Ph.D. in cancer biology from the University of Pennsylvania, where he helped organize the Puerto Rican advocacy organization Philly Boricuas. He has worked to improve healthcare and workers’ rights in the city of Philadelphia.
The Latino Affairs Committee serves as “…the eyes and ears of the governor on the ground in each of our counties,” Rivera-Reyes said. Its main goals for this year include the 2020 census, civic engagement and voter participation, as well as legislative advocacy, Rivera-Reyes pointed out.
“Our communities won’t be able to get the resources they deserve if they’re not counted properly,” Rivera-Reyes said. “From the funding perspective, but also from the representation perspective.”
Rivera-Reyes cited poverty as his primary concern within Pennsylvania, for LGBTQ and Latinx communities and the intersection thereof.
“In Philly, LGBTQ [people] have been suffering at ardent rates for years,” he said. “I think specifically with the Latinx LGBTQ community, again, it goes back to poverty. There is a general lack of resources and opportunities that are readily available to these folks. I think mental health is extremely important and a really big need and, of course, educational pipelines and leadership guidelines.”
He cited local nonprofits such as GALAEI, which are taking these kinds of initiatives in LGBTQ Latinx communities.
The committee’s plan to address at-risk communities includes LGBTQ Latinx people, for which they plan to collaborate with the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBT Affairs. Rivera-Reyes believes that empowering working communities as well as Latinx, LGBTQ and queer Latinx youth is vital to combat systemic issues in these communities.
Another of Gov. Wolf’s priorities for the Latino Affairs Commission is to focus on Puerto Rico relief efforts, especially considering the increase of climate change-fueled natural disasters, Rivera-Reyes pointed out. The country has been experiencing hundreds of earthquakes since Dec. 28, 2019, two dozen of which were magnitude 4.5 or higher.
“As soon as the first earthquake hit last Tuesday, I think it was a couple of hours later, the governor put out a message saying Puerto Rico has the full support of FEMA and that we’re here as the Commonwealth to help in whatever way we’re asked and are able to,” Rivera-Reyes said.
Philly Boricuas is currently in the process of amassing donations of emergency care packages to be sent to the areas of the island that have experienced the most damage from the earthquakes.
Rivera-Reyes’ systematic, scientific approach to politics and policy is due to his work as a cancer biologist and his intersecting backgrounds as a Latinx LGBTQ person from a working-class background.
“I tend to think more about interconnectedness and try and see what can be done individually — but that would be beneficial to communities as a whole,” he said. “It’s hard for me to think of myself as just Latinx or just LGBTQ. They’re both there always, all the time, and it’s just who I am. When I think about the work I’m doing, I can’t dissociate the Latinx part from the LGBTQ part, or vice versa.”