Elgin man to be featured in documentary highlighting Latinos

Kevin Echevarria knows the sting of racism all too well.

He recounts a story in which a white man entered the Puerto Rican restaurant Echevarria co-owns with his father, Pedro, in Elgin and proceeded to ask whether he serves the Mexican dish burritos.

When Echevarria, 22, explained his restaurant only serves Puerto Rican food, the man asked whether Puerto Ricans are illegal immigrants "taking our resources."

Echevarria explained Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States and as such, its people have the same rights as Americans.

The man continued to challenge Echevarria about Latinos and eventually left the restaurant in a huff.

Echevarria, born and raised in Elgin, says it is people like that he wants to educate about Latinos and their contributions to society.

And he's getting his chance right now.

Echevarria is in Los Angeles this weekend, sharing his life story with actress Eva Longoria Parker, who is directing a documentary highlighting Latinos and their achievements.

Camera crews later will follow him around Elgin and film him at Delicia Tropical Cafe, the nearly five-year-old family restaurant he runs with his father.

As part of the Pepsi Yo Sumo nationwide initiative, the beverage giant invited Latinos to not only stand up and be counted in this year's census, but also discuss what they're doing to support their communities. Yo sumo means "I count."

Pepsi asked them to share their stories on the company's website and received more than 600 responses. A select few, Echevarria included, will be featured in Longoria Parker's documentary, due to air during Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts in mid-September and ends in mid-October.

"I want to tell them how I count, how I'm a proud member of society," said Echevarria, the son of Puerto Rican immigrants. "You hear a lot of the bad stuff, especially now with immigration issues. And yes, we know that's a problem, but there's also some people out here that did things the right way."

Echevarria, who owns two Elgin businesses - the other a Christian promotions company - gained local prominence last year when he ran for a spot on the Elgin Area School District U-46 school board at the ripe old age of 21.

Although he didn't win a seat, Echevarria was endorsed by the 2,400 member Elgin Teachers' Association and secured 16 percent of the vote across three counties.

"For me, it wasn't a loss, it was a really a big learning experience," he said.

These days, he focuses on mentoring local kids and giving motivational speeches to students at Gifford Street Alternative High School, Larsen and Ellis middle schools.

Echevarria is not far removed from pressures kids face today. He says he fell in with the wrong crowd in high school and that it could have led to him joining a gang.

"You start talking like them, you start walking like them, you start shaking your hands like them and it becomes something you didn't want it to become," said Echevarria, now engaged to his childhood sweetheart. "Luckily, I pulled away just in time."

Starting in August, Echevarria will meet with between 15 and 20 teen boys at the Elgin Boys and Girls Club. He'll give them a pep talk before school starts and follow up with them once or twice a month to ensure their grades are up and that they're staying out of trouble.

"I want to be a role model and show that they can be successful people," he said. "That they can be good people by doing the right things."

Echevarria approached the club with the idea of taking kids under his wing, said Lupe Aguirre, the club's site coordinator.

Aguirre saw how much the kids looked up to Echevarria during his presentation at Larsen Middle School and said he has the power to inspire even more.

"I think he has experienced a lot and can talk to kids about his life experiences that he has had and guide them the right way," she said. "It's not so much intervention, it's prevention."

You can read Echevarria's story at www.pepsiyosumo.com/profiles.php?1=1&cat1id=15&cp=4&sa=1