‘Cedar Rapids knows more about Latinos’ because of Monica Vallejo

CEDAR RAPIDS — As the sun sat Thursday over Delaney Memorial Park, Monica Vallejo arrived from a city meeting and quickly started to dance with parents and children, getting her groove on before night fell over Cedar Rapids.

Nearby, more than a dozen young dancers tapped their shoes in unison on the basketball court, practicing before their big performance at 11:45 a.m. Sunday in front of the Cedar Rapids community as part of Festival Latino.

It was Vallejo’s vision to provide more resources for local Latinos and her desire to better the community that prompted the creation of the city’s new Ballet Folklórico group, Fuerzas Culturales.

And now, at the city’s 11th annual Festival Latino at McGrath Amphitheatre, 475 First St. SW, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, this piece of Latino culture will be shared with all of Cedar Rapids, while the dancers and their families further connect with their Latino roots.

The festival and the dance troupe represent what Vallejo, 62, says make her happiest — working with parents and children and giving back to her community.

“I consider myself a Latino who wants to help Latinos,” Vallejo said.

She works hard, but she’s humble, bristling at being called a “Latino community leader.” Vallejo said she helps people because she loves to do it.

‘A better life’

Vallejo has lived in Cedar Rapids since arriving in the United States from Ecuador on March 24, 1999, with her husband, Henry, and their two children, Henry Jr. and Tatiana.

She felt the U.S. education system would be better and that her kids would have better opportunities than she did. Many programs also were more affordable in the U.S. than in Ecuador, Vallejo said, and corruption in politics wouldn’t dictate their lives.

“We decided to try to come to do a better life in this country and try to give a better life to my kids,” Vallejo said. “… You have the opportunity to choose what you’re going to do, work and be honest.”

Her initial impression was that the U.S. wasn’t like the movies, where it seemed full of flowers and tall buildings. It was still cold at this time of year.

Adjusting to life in the U.S. wasn’t easy at first, Vallejo said. She faced language barriers but found support in the school community — learning in many ways alongside her children. And it took time to learn American social norms and customs.

But after more than two decades here, Vallejo said she’s happy to call Cedar Rapids home.

Connecting

After connecting with Ron Corbett about 10 years ago during his first term as Cedar Rapids mayor, Vallejo said she began to better understand the levers of city government. And she learned elected officials work for the people — that here, people could affect change in their government.

“They have the privilege to work for us because we vote for them,” Vallejo said.

Her service has garnered numerous awards and honors. Most recently, the Iowa International Center named Vallejo a 2022 Passport to Prosperity honoree. The honor recognizes outstanding immigrants or refugees who significantly and positively affect the quality of life in Iowa.

She has participated on several municipal boards and commissions, including the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, the Citizens Review Board and the Charter Review Commission.

She’s worked full-time with YPN and now HACAP. Vallejo also founded the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens about five years ago.

Although she’s just three years away from being able to retire, Vallejo smiles and said she doubts she’ll slow down any time soon.

Progress

Through her volunteer work and community involvement, Vallejo said she’s proud of the progress that’s been made to increase resources for and visibility of the Latino community. She noted the city’s hires in the past year of a Latino city attorney and a diversity, equity and inclusion manager as steps in the right direction.

“There’s a lot of people that love us,” Vallejo said. “They are happy we are here. … We can talk now about being Latino.”

This progress and the potential for growth motivate her to keep working, Vallejo said.

She knows firsthand how hard it is to start in this country, and she wants to see more Latinos get a good education and vote, and ultimately work as politicians, educators, lawyers, doctors and in other professions.

Creating opportunities

Jose Marcos, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala about 15 years ago, met Vallejo through YPN.

He said through a translator she taught him and his wife how to take care of babies and helped with anything they needed, whether it was making appointments or providing translations.

Vallejo helped start programs that stay alive for a long time, he said. And she creates opportunities for Latinos to come together — “like a union for all Latinos,” he said.

“It doesn't matter what country we are from,” Marcos said.

Asela Zapot, whose daughter dances with Fuerzas Culturales, said Vallejo has been helpful since they met when Vallejo worked with Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and since Zapot came to the U.S. at age 14 from Veracruz, Mexico.

Her mother, Zapot said, would call Vallejo whenever they had issues and Vallejo would know the answer or track down someone who did. It seems Vallejo is often doing “100 percent for other people compared to herself,” Zapot said.

When Zapot arrived to Cedar Rapids, she said it felt as if Latinos were separated. But now, she said, she sees her culture represented and the rest of the community can learn from Latino culture, too.

“Cedar Rapids knows more about Latinos because of her,” Zapot said of Vallejo. “She aims to put on different programs like Festival Latino and … that way Cedar Rapids can hear that Latinos are part of Cedar Rapids, and we cannot be in the shadows.”

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