About the Advisory Committee

Per South Carolina Code of Regulations, Chapter 139, Article 2, Section 139-202, the Advisory Committee's role is to "A. Advise the Commission for Minority Affairs regarding socio-economic issues relevant to African Americans, Native American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians and other ethnic minority groups in South Carolina. B. Identify the needs and concerns of the various ethnic minorities and bring such needs and concerns to the attention of the Commission for Minority Affairs. C. Make recommendations to the Commission for Minority Affairs to address the needs and concerns of ethnic minority groups."

Current Advisory Committee Members

Miriam Berrouet, Denise Coleman, Lillian García, Vanessa Mota, Nilsy Rapalo, Sharon Rivera Doublin, Tanya Rodríguez Hodges, Diana Saillant, Gigi Towers, Mayte Velasco Nicolás, Ana Garcia, Angelique Jarvis-Simmons, Sarai Melendez, Gabriel Cardona, Rut River, Pedro de Armas, Julio Domingo, Ulises Chavez, and Alex Navarro

Business Development
Capacity Building
Cultural Diversity Training
Information and Referral
Minority Population Specific Training
Organizational Development
Research and Evaluation
Technical Assistance 

The South Carolina Latino Student Summit is an initiative of the Commission’s Pathways for Latinos to Advance Career and Education (PLACE) Program, which is designed to collaborate efforts among educators, professionals and community organizations seeking to connect Latinx students and young professionals across the state. The ultimate goal is to foster educational development and career advancement.

PLACE creates a network of Latinx students and young professionals to learn through their shared experiences and available resources, and the activities are determined by the unique needs and goals of these individuals. PLACE provides a networking and brainstorming platform where ideas are interchanged, resources are shared, and a sense of pride and belonging is cultivated amongst South Carolina’s Latinx youth.  

For more information or to organize a Latino Student Summit, contact Alex Tovar at 803-832-8298 or atovar@cma.sc.gov.

The SC Commission for Minority Affairs formed a statewide working group of individuals, organizations and businesses serving the Latinx and immigrant communities in South Carolina. The purpose of the work group is to coordinate and share information and resources available across the state. The group created a Directory of Service Providers to facilitate the process of finding resources, sharing information and promoting networking.

If you, or your organization, are assisting the Latinx/immigrant community, or if you want to start helping, contact Alex Tovar at 803-832-8298 or atovar@cma.sc.gov.

The SC Commission for Minority Affairs’ Hispanic/Latino Affairs Division launched the COVID-19 Action Plan for Agricultural Workers and Latinos Living in Rural SC. This action plan calls for collaborative efforts among state agencies, organizations, services providers, and community leaders/brokers to ensure COVID-19 information, materials, testing and vaccinations effectively reach this segment of the population.

The SC Department of Employment and Workforce’s Agricultural Outreach Plan projects the agricultural workforce need for South Carolina at approximately 12,750 workers. This total includes approximately 6,300 migrant and seasonal farm workers and 6,270 H–2A visa holders. The peak season is from April to September.

The fastest growing segment of many rural communities in South Carolina is the Hispanic population. According to the US Census data, the estimated number of Latinos living in rural areas is 23,395.  There are 16 SC Counties that meet the three definitions used by the Federal Government to define Rural: Hampton, Colleton, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg, Clarendon, Williamsburg, Marion, Dillon, Marlboro, Chesterfield, Lee, McCormick, Abbeville, Newberry, Cherokee, and Oconee.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled and intensified severe and pervasive health inequities among minority communities. Agricultural workers and individuals living in rural areas face challenges and barriers in accessing health and social services. Issues of trust and immigration-related fears add stress to the already complex interactions in a health care system that is not prepared to effectively meet the language, cultural, or navigation barriers experienced by this population.

• Addressing the needs of agricultural workers and Latinos living in South Carolina during this pandemic is both a moral imperative and pragmatic strategy. Our action plan includes activities designed to ensure information, testing and vaccines reach this segment of the population despite foreseen barriers and difficulties. Our action plan is constantly adapting and includes the following activities:
• Strengthen the working relationship with the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, SC Department of Employment and Workforce, South Carolina Department of Education Migrant Education Program, SC Department of Agriculture and other state agencies entrusted with providing information and resources to agricultural workers and Latinos living in rural areas. 
• Assisting state agencies and service providers to develop culturally and linguistically appropriate materials and resources to reach out to this specific segment of our population.
• Furthering collaborative efforts with state agencies, organizations, coalitions, Latino media and individuals assisting the agricultural worker community and Latinos in rural South Carolina to foster coordinated outreach efforts and sharing of information and resources.
• Fostering the participation of faith-based leaders/organizations in all activities related to keeping this community informed and aware of services and opportunities to receive information, testing and/or vaccination.
• Establishing effective communication channels for community leaders/brokers, organizations and agencies to provide feedback regarding specific needs from the community they serve and to establish additional needed items for the action plan.
• Offering cultural sensitivity training to state agencies, service providers and organizations in working with the agricultural worker community.
• Influencing State Government and decision-makers to ensure adequate materials and vaccines are available for this segment of the population.

If you are a service provider interested in joining the COVID-19 Action Plan for Agricultural Worker and Latinos Living in Rural SC, please enter your information in our COVID-19 Statewide Workgroup for Latinx and Immigrant Communities directory. Make sure to select you are providing services to farmworkers and/or in rural areas. You can also contact Ivan Segura, Director of Multicultural Affairs and Community Engagement at 803-995-8518 or isegura@cma.sc.gov. En español

Hispanics Who are Making a Difference

2019 South Carolina Hispanic Resource Directory

House Approves Establishing National Latino Museum As Part Of Smithsonian

Hispanics Health Resources

Guia de Huracanes de 2020