 WonderWoman: Sylvia Rosales-FikePublished: January, 2007  Sylvia Rosales-Fike Sylvia Rosales-Fike is the granddaughter of a Salvadoran criminal attorney who defended that country's poor, influencing her to do the same. But during El Salvador's civil war of the '80s, helping the poor became a crime punishable by death. So she left her home for the United States where she continues to serve the poor and marginalized. Founder and CEO of Anew America, Rosales-Fike works with migrant entrepreneurs and their families with business incubation, asset planning, financial services and social responsibility programs throughout the Bay Area. She credits her mother for giving her business and financial skills that have helped over 800 immigrants achieve their own personal American dreams. Growing up in an affluent Salvadoran family with Spanish roots, her father was a prominent lawyer and her mother a businesswoman, both with progressive inclinations. As a young adult, Rosales-Fike worked on adult literacy while attending the Central American University of El Salvador, receiving a BA in Sociology. In 1980, the country entered a civil war, affecting everyone including well-to-do friends and family. She and her husband continued to work with the poor until one day the Salvadoran military hurriedly took him away, then claimed the incident never occurred. Her husband was never seen again. Not submitting to government-sponsored terrorism, Rosales-Fike became more determined then ever to dedicate her life to social justice. A 28-year-old widow when she fled to the U. S., she volunteered with the Central American Refugee Center in Washington D.C. Being bilingual with desirable fundraising skills, she was asked to take on more responsibilities and soon became executive director. She designed the nationwide "No Human Being Is Illegal" campaign with Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel to raise awareness of the plight of refugees in the U. S., and later became the Director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas where she organized behind-the-scenes meetings involving stakeholders and foes in civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala. Wanting a break from the intense refugee work, Rosales-Fike moved with her family to Massachusetts to attend the J.F.K. School of Government at Harvard, receiving a masters in public administration. She devised a program to economically empower immigrant populations, who often remain at the bottom of the economic ladder. In 1994, she co-founded the Community Bank of the Bay, the first commercial community development bank in the state. In 1999, she founded Anew America, which she hopes will grow and continually serve new populations. | ||
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