Our Mission
Preserve
Celebrate Latino
Culture
Enrich
Our Story
Since our inception in 1989, MexicantownCDC has been most successful in preserving and bringing Latino culture, history and art to Southwest Detroit's Mexicantown area. We strive to be the Latino cultural touchstone for the Metro Detroit region.
In 1989, a group of Latino community leaders, with expertise in business development and training, unified in the mission to create a Latino-owned and operated agency—MexicantownCDC. Informed by its guiding principle “A strong ethnic identity equals a strong economy”, MexicantownCDC would train community residents in entrepreneurship to resume economic ownership of community businesses and empowerment of community residents that had been severed with the construction of the I-75 freeway in the early 1960s.
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In 2007, MexicantownCDC became a leader in the revitalization of Southwest Detroit with the $17.5 M development of its Welcome Center and Mercado buildings and outdoor plaza, honoring Latino contributions to Detroit and Michigan.
Its high-quality, affordable retail space and popular Mexicantown LatinoCultural Center/Art Gallery/community meeting space, housed in the Plaza DelNorte building, ensure Southwest Detroit’s access to economic and cultural growth. Four thousand individuals currently flow monthly through the MexicantownCDC campus, conducting business with the State of Michigan’s Welcome Center, the Secretary of State offices, the Detroit Works Career Center and the Southwest Economic Solutions’ offices. We also interact with the Gleaner’s of Southeastern Michigan Food Distribution hub and with a number of non-profit organizations providing services housed in the Mexicantown Mercado building.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Dr. Fern Espino
Chairperson
Mr. Raul Soto
Secretary
Mr. Andy Gutierrez
Treasurer
Mr. Michael Kaszubski Board Member
Meet the Team
Raymond Lozano
Executive Director
Georgina García
Communication-Operations Manager
Vanessa Mccartney
Office-Plaza del Norte Manager
Chavon Herndon
Finance Manager