Aleman, 1st Latino elected in state, takes lead at HICA

Carlos Aleman has been all over the United States, but he’s found a home in Homewood.

“Homewood is special,” Aleman said. “It provides a diverse community.”

Last year, that diverse community made Aleman the first Latino elected to public office in the state of Alabama when they chose him to serve as a Ward 2 council member, and now, he’ll get to continue focusing on the Hispanic population in Alabama as the CEO of HICA, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama.

Aleman has recently served as the organization’s deputy director and will assume the role of CEO on Jan. 1, 2022, following the retirement of Isabel Rubio, the organization’s founder and current leader.

“It’s an honor to follow in her footsteps and build up the foundation she established,” Aleman said.

Aleman immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was young due to civil war in their home country of Nicaragua in 1982. He first lived in San Francisco and grew up there before moving to Michigan to earn his doctorate’s degree from Michigan State University. A stop in Atlanta was then followed by his move to join the faculty staff at Samford University, where he taught from 2013 to 2018. It was during his time at Samford where Aleman learned that Alabama does not always meet the less-than-ideal stereotypes placed upon it.

“There’s what the national perception is, then there’s reality,” Aleman said.

At HICA, Aleman said the primary objective is to help new immigrants, along with existing families grow and thrive. The group now has 25 full-time staff members, covers six counties and operates with a $2.5 million budget, Aleman said.

The organization has a variety of different programs, including victim advocacy, cultural training, language access, assistance with immigration and citizenship issues and helping people with college training, Aleman said. HICA also helps people register to vote and provides voter guides in Spanish, along with advocating for different policies.

The “engine” in HICA, Aleman said, is the community economic development program, where HICA will help people file their taxes and help them start a business with micro-lending programs that provide capital. About 300 people have received their business license as a result of the program, he said, and HICA has provided about $100,000 to 37 entrepreneurs since the program began, and no one has missed a payment on their loan.

As deputy director, Aleman was in charge of the programs and internal operations, but now, he will serve as the public face of HICA, and will oversee every aspect of the organization.

“We have an opportunity to continue to grow,” Aleman said. “How do we continue to move people out of poverty and into prosperity?”

Aleman said he hopes to see HICA work for an increase in legislative policies that make life better “for all Alabamians” and said he wants to continue to remove barriers for Hispanic citizens.

Following in Rubio’s footsteps is following a “legacy that is rare,” Aleman said. Rubio has been a mentor, friend and colleague to Aleman, and he said she’s had a tremendous impact across the state of Alabama in raising issues in the community. HICA’s founder has been a “powerful force for good” in the state, he said.

Rubio said she can’t think of anyone better than Aleman to be the next CEO of HICA.

“He has lived the immigrant experience,” Rubio said. “For three and a half years, he’s been here and worked side by side.”

Rubio said she will be in an advisory role as the year winds down, and it is an important time to begin to step back and let Aleman grow into the position.

Reflecting on her more than 20 years of leading the organization, Rubio said she’s most thankful for the people she has encountered.

“The people have made this work so incredible,” Rubio said. “Birmingham and Alabama have embraced us and embraced change.”

Aleman is a visible reminder of one of those changes, as the first elected Latino to public office. While he’s proud to be the first, he said it is more important that he is not the last.

“It’s a good thing we are coming to a place where people see themselves represented,” Aleman said. “Local politics is where change can happen.”

Homewood is unique, especially compared to other over-the-mountain cities, Aleman said, in its diversity, especially in his home in West Homewood, which he and his wife chose for a reason. Their children attending Hall Kent Elementary will allow them to interact with people from all different walks of life, he said.

Aleman said he hopes to “build something special” in Homewood and hopes to represent those who care about it.

“It’s challenging; you have to represent a diverse community,” Aleman said of serving on the City Council. “People are really dedicated and really care about Homewood.”

Serving on the council also allows Aleman to learn to work to build consensus, as one council member cannot hope to achieve his or her plans by themselves, he said.

Growing up in San Francisco, Aleman said he saw that the Hispanic population had the “infrastructure” that HICA has helped create in Alabama, with access to so many resources to improve their quality of life. It helped ensure those people could achieve what they wanted to achieve.

As one of those people who has achieved much in his life, Aleman said he hopes to use HICA to show what can happen when people are provided opportunities to improve their lives.

“I don’t like seeing myself as the exception,” Aleman said. “I’m an example.”