Latino Small Businesses and the American Dream

Latino small businesses provide social, economic, and cultural comfort within their communities. Social work practitioners hoping to address such needs, not only among Latinos but in all communities of color, have a vested interest in seeing these businesses grow. Latino small businesses are excellent facilitators of community capacity, a major component of effective social work practice. Reviewing the latest research on formal and informal economies within urban communities of color, this book lays the demographic foundations for a richer collaboration between theory and practice. Citing numerous case studies, Melvin Delgado cements the link between indigenous small businesses and community well-being. Whether regulated or unregulated, these establishments hire from within and promote a path toward immigrant self-employment. Latino small businesses often provide jobs for those whose criminal and mental health backgrounds intimidate conventional businesses. Recently estimated to be the largest group of color to helm small businesses, Latino owners now number two million, with the amount expected to double within the next few years. Bridging the gap between understanding these institutions and the kind of practice that best enables social and economic improvement, Delgado explains how to identify and mobilize resources to better develop these businesses.