Bridges and Hope: An American Story in Jackson

We at the Latino Resource Center would like to draw attention to a wonderful public service campaign taking place in our community. If you are a reader of the Jackson Hole News and Guide, you may have noticed ads like the one above, highlighting successful Latino individuals in the Jackson community. These public service announcements are part of a long term project dubbed Bridges and Hope: An American Story. If you haven’t seen them yet, you probably will. The ads, one in Spanish and one in English will appear in the Jackson Hole Daily twice a week for the next 12 months, highlighting a total of 40 Jackson residents.

The idea behind Bridges and Hope was born on the high school soccer fields, in a chance meeting between John Held, 90-year-old retired ad man, and Alfonso Centeno, owner of El Abuelito. With John’s 75 years of experience in advertising, and the generous financial support of Alfonso, the unlikely duo hopes to to highlight forty individuals in the Jackson community over the next twelve months. “The goal of this project is simple,” said Alfonso, “we want to change people’s perception of Latinos.” John went on to explain, “We want the Anglos in this community to realize that the Latinos are here to stay… that they are more than dishwashers and housecleaners who hide in the shadows.” But equally important, John and Alfonso hope to inspire the Latinos in this community who need a little nudge… “Look! Here are some examples of things you could be!” exclaimed John.

“If these ads inspire just one Latino to step out of the shadows to start something bigger, this project will have been well worth it.”

It wasn’t difficult to assemble an impressive list of characters to spotlight from the Jackson community. Examples include David Vela, Superintendent of Grand Teton National Park, Oscar Ortega, Master Chocolatier, and Irving Aquilar, a well known Jackson Athlete and entrepreneur. The concept behind each ad is simple, a portrait of the individual is accompanied by a quote about why they love the Jackson community. “Jackson people set the bar high. They push me to be more educated, more tolerant, more respectful, exercise more… and love more!” says Roxana Wortman, a well loved Spanish Teacher at the Jackson Hole Community School.

While the message behind this public awareness campaign may be simple, the goal is undeniably lofty. “If these ads inspire just one Latino to step out of the shadows to start something bigger, this project will have been well worth it,” said John, eyes twinkling in the flash of the camera during the portrait shoot.

Thanks to John Held, Alfonso Centeno, photographer Jonathan Selkowitz and all the members of the Latino community who agreed to take part in this campaign. We applaud your efforts to build bridges and hope.