Latiné/Hispanic Employee Resource Group Creates Connection Over Coffee

With Virtual “Cafecito,” ¡DALHE! builds a sense of community

A cup of coffee on a table next to a laptop

Paulina Ruiz said that she’s never been to a gathering of Latino family members or friends that didn’t have a cafecito, or a period when people talk over coffee.

“At every social gathering, there’s always a coffee element,” said Ruiz, Project Manager in the Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. “It’s when things get calm, when you slow down and really have good conversations.”

For members of Duke Advancing Latiné/Hispanic Excellence – a new employee resource group commonly known as ¡DALHE! – it was only fitting that they have a cafecito of their own.

At noon on Friday, September 27, which falls during Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15-Oct. 15, Duke’s Latino and Hispanic staff and faculty members, and their allies, are invited to attend a Virtual Cafecito with guest Duke Assistant Vice President for Staff & Labor Relations Robert Campos-Marquetti.

The Virtual Cafecito gives Duke’s Latiné and Hispanic staff and allies a chance to connect with Duke leaders and one another. Photo courtesy of ¡DALHE!

The Virtual Cafecitos are an opportunity to create and maintain open dialogue for Duke’s Latiné and Hispanic staff and allies around topics of leadership, networking, mentorship, inclusion, professional development and more.

Coffee isn’t required for the Zoom-based conversation, but, according to ¡DALHE! Founder Raquel Ruiz, the warm spirit of a chat over coffee will be the vibe.

“In  many Latino households, coffee is at the center of our culture,” said Raquel Ruiz, Co-Director of the Equity, Learning Health Communities Pillar of the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute. “That’s what brings us to the table in the morning and throughout the day. That’s when we chat and create that cultural and family connection.”

To receive a link to the event, attendees can register here.

¡DALHE! is among the employee resource groups designed to give Duke staff and faculty opportunities to build bonds with colleagues and create a supportive and welcoming climate within the workforce. More than 4,600 colleagues at Duke identify as Hispanic/Latino.

Officially launched a year ago in September, ¡DALHE! has drawn over 100 members from the Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University and Duke University Health System.

The group has hosted in-person panel discussions about the contributions of Latino and Hispanic people have made to Duke and organized community volunteering effort and group events around exhibitions in the Franklin Gallery and at the Nasher Museum of Art.

¡DALHE! has held two Virtual Cafecito events with Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Associate Professor Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi and Duke Director of Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Robert Maldonado Franzen serving as the first two guests.

Among the topics discussed in past sessions were managing stress and anxiety, imposter syndrome and the experience of being a minority at Duke. As a way to encourage honesty and open discussion, the sessions aren’t recorded.

“You really get to know the individual outside of their role, it’s really neat,” said, ¡DALHE! member Dalia Antunez, a Duke Cancer Institute Research Analyst. “My favorite part is the storytelling that happens. We get to hear a lot of different key parts of that person’s career trajectory, the highs and lows and what inspires them.”

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

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