DETROIT — Laura L. Chávez-Wazeerud-Din grew up in Southwest Detroit after moving from Mexico with her family when she was very young. Her parents’ divorce left her in foster care for quite some time, without bilingual parents.
“When I started school, I was placed in the special education classes because bilingual classes were only in certain parts of Detroit and not the area I was in,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “When we did reunite with my mother after a few years I was placed in the exceptional students’ courses. I spent kindergarten through third grade in special ed and suddenly I was an advanced student. That is what led me to want to be a teacher.”
But according to Chávez-Wazeerud-Din, her story is not about the “poor little homeless Mexican girl who surprisingly made it,” it’s about the woman inspired by educators and her own childhood to be a fighter for youth just like herself to make it and become anything they want to be.
“Throughout my youth, I had amazing teachers that inspired me and saw me, and it truly motivated me to want to become an educator,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “I did pursue my degree in education, I became a teacher in Detroit at the age of 20. I just wanted to do what was done for me.”
Chávez-Wazeerud-Din is being recognized as a Game Changers honoree by the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Comerica Bank as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Continuing our recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re honored to celebrate Laura L. Chávez-Wazeerud-Din as a Game Changers recipient for her contributions to countless community members in Southwest Detroit,” said Kevin Brown, director of community impact for Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. “Through her work with the Southwest Detroit Business Association, Laura ensures local businesses have access to vital resources and information they need to thrive at all levels.”
Eventually transitioning to banking, Chávez-Wazeerud-Din continued to educate however she could.
“I taught financial literacy classes or asked how I could get in the school to help with economics and teaching these young people because I really felt that it’s very important for us to be vested in our youth,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “They are going to be the next leaders, community organizers, business owners. If we don’t invest in them, who will? Education has always been at the forefront of everything I’ve done.”
She keeps that same mantra now as the president and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA).
“I love what I do. I love the programs that we have, and I think I came in at a very pivotal time for the organization,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “Reemerging and coming back from the pandemic, I have had a lot of autonomy to restructure the programing and focus in on what the true needs of our community are.
“Growing up in Southwest Detroit, we always had people telling us what we needed, but being a person that came from Southwest Detroit, I understand that having representation matters but also listening and knocking on doors and meeting with business owners to learn what they truly need is something different and important.”
Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said she is the first Latina to head the SDBA.
“It’s not traditionally a Hispanic organization, but it does make sense that there would be some Hispanic leadership at some point,” she said. “I’m very proud to be the first one.”
The SDBA offers technical assistance for small businesses, helps minority businesses navigate rules and regulations in the city of Detroit and assists in finding funding for them.
“We try to be a conduit to connect business owners and members alike,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “People will reach out asking if we have a contractor who does x, y and z, and we’ll try to find a member business who can help.”
Going back to her education roots, a program that is a point of pride for Chávez-Wazeerud-Din is the SDBA’s COMPAS program. The Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest (COMPAS) provides year-round programming to 150 children free of charge.
“It is a youth program geared around preserving the Latinx culture and heritage through art, music and dance,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “As an educator at heart, I always want to promote and see these young people thrive because they are children of our business owners, and they someday will propel this community and continue to make it be vibrant and welcoming to everyone in the city of Detroit.”
Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said she is excited to be recognized as a Game Changers honoree because it provides an opportunity for her to show the children she works with that they can accomplish whatever they work hard for.
“I know I am the disadvantaged youth that made it beyond what the expectations or the statistics were for where I was or where I started,” she said. “I know I have a lot of work left still to do, but it does make me feel like someone is seeing what I’m doing and it’s not because I started so low but because I’m truly making change at whatever level it is, it does mean a lot to me.
“Everyone talks about how bright and colorful Southwest Detroit is; how they love our murals and our food, but we’re so much more than food. We are so much more than tequila and Cinco de Mayo. We are a community that is here 365 days of the year, and we have architects, national publishers, lawyers and doctors. One of my missions while I am here, in this space, is to promote our culture and community at large, not just the things we get as token recognition, because we are the diversity woven into the city of Detroit, we are in that tapestry.”