Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic family-owned food company in the United States, made a bold statement in the business world. The company decided to end their sponsorship with New York City’s Puerto Rican Day Parade for the first time in 60 years.
New Jersey-based Goya has been a longstanding supporter of the culturally rich parade since they first opened their doors, but the company declined when the parade organizers decided to honor the convicted felon Oscar Lopez Rivera during the event, calling the move a ‘business decision.’
Rivera was a member of the former radical Puerto Rican nationalist group Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (FALN), who was responsible for over 130 bombings in major U.S. cities and Puerto Rico in the 1970s and 1980s. Arrested for ‘seditious conspiracy’ and attempted robbery, vehicle theft charges, and explosives, Rivera’s 55-year sentence to prison was shortened to 35 when President Obama released him during his last month in office.
On May 17, parade organizers expressed that they were disappointed with Goya’s decision and stated that it would jeopardize over 100 scholarships that the parade awards to college students. But as time would tell, Goya Foods wasn’t the only company they had to worry about.
Taking the Initiative
A number of other companies and organizations followed suit not long after Goya Foods refused to sponsor the Puerto Rican Day Parade. AT&T, Coca-Cola, the Yankees, and the NYPD Hispanic Society chose to boycott the parade and Rivera’s honorable mention. Noted politicians and elected officials also decided not to come to the parade including New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill. As a result, Goya Foods initiated great impact by leading with example, a bold move that criticizes terrorism in a correct and nonviolent manner.
“I cannot support a man who’s a co-founder of an organization that engaged in over 120 bombings,” stated O’Neill regarding Rivera. He added that he also considered him a terrorist “based on his actions, based on the fact that he was the co-founder of that group and what he was convicted of.”
On June 1, 2017, Rivera declined the honorary award and stated that he will simply attend the parade instead. “He declined the honorary title at the parade. We respect that decision,” said the parade’s spokesman Andres Chavez.
To add further salt to the wound, the 116th Street Abrazo Fraternal Puerto Rican Festival in East Harlem New York will dedicate their own event to the U.S. armed forces, the New York Police Department, and the New York City Fire Department on June 10, 2017, just one day before the Puerto Rican Day Parade begins.
And all this because one company wisely chose to not associate with terrorism and support their country.
Goya’s Faithful Partnership
Besides Goya Food’s decision to boycott the parade, Goya Foods has also partnered with Focus on the Family to help underprivileged kids in local communities in the Spring Branch Independent School District. The local area is home to one of Goya Foods production facilities in Houston, TX. The charitable program named Raising Highly Capable Kids is bilingual and designed to empower parents to equip their children to succeed in life and their careers by enforcing key positive behaviors and other research-proven child development strategies.
But how much of an impact is the program making? Reports reveal that over several hundred parents have actively participated and graduated in the program in the past two years alone. As a result, a new curriculum of classes is currently under development. Goya Foods and Focus on the Family expect next year’s attendance to grow to over 1,000 parents attending.
What can Americans take away from this? That it is possible to make a powerful statement under peaceful circumstances. Goya Foods, who bears considerable weight as the largest Hispanic foods company in the country, made a thoughtful decision to stand down from an event that associated with terrorism at the expense of risking business opportunities.
As a result, they became the leader of a larger initiative that is making waves in news channels through New York and across the country. Their ability to stand firmly but gently in the face of changing views is admirable for any Christian in business to follow. Goya Foods is an excellent role model for leading by example, and hopefully, other companies in our fair and free country will do the same.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
