The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) announced it is the first transit authority pledging to hire, promote, retain, and develop Hispanic employees.

On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at the conclusion of a GCRTA Board meeting, agency leadership made it official with the signing of The Hispanic Promise by GCRTA General Manager, CEO India Birdsong and RTA Board Member, Roberta Duarte.

The Hispanic Promise launched at the 2019 World Economic Summit.

The promise asks leaders to commit to creating Hispanic-friendly places for employees and others. We Are All Human, the organization that developed the Hispanic Promise, states that Hispanics make up 18% of the U.S. population, yet 74% of them do not feel they can be themselves at work.

"By signing the Hispanic Promise, GCRTA is spearheading a movement in the region to work towards creating a more inclusive environment for Hispanics", said Marcia V. Moreno, CDE, president, AmMore Consulting LCC. "The Hispanic Star Cleveland Hub commends the commitment shown by GCRTA to become one of the first signatories of the Hispanic Promise in Greater Cleveland", stated Moreno.

Based on 2020 census data, Hispanics make up just over 6% of the population in Cuyahoga County, and 3% of the GCRTA’s workforce is Hispanic.

“As a public agency, we employ and serve a diverse population. We seek to promote and support diversity and inclusion across all areas of GCRTA and the communities we serve”, said Birdsong. “We must set an example for others to follow; we must do our part to embrace one another with respect, dignity, and empathy in order to drive positive change."