José Luis Castillo (born April 19, 1968, in
Den Haag
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, Netherlands) is a Colombian American activist,
["County Commission Candidates Line Up Endorsements" ''Miami Herald'', August 24, 2000] politician, and
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
community liaison in
South Florida
South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
. He is the founder of the
Colombian American Foundation in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
and the
Pan American Coalition an
umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...
14 groups representing an array of immigrants from
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
and is active in the community fighting for the rights and liberties of his fellow
Colombian Americans. He has been awarded the title of "Gran Caballero" con la Orden de la Democracia
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
from Colombia.
Early years
Castillo was born to a Dutch mother, Yvonne Alexandra Eggermont, and a Colombian father, Luis Alfonso Castillo Castañeda, in the Netherlands, where he lived until the age of four. In 1972, his family moved to
Alicante, Spain, then moved back to the Netherlands before coming to
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in the Pubenza Valley in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. The municipality has a population of 318,059, an a ...
, Colombia, a beautiful colonial city listed on the national registry, especially for its religious and cultural influences. As a kid, Castillo studied at the Instituto de Melvin Jones while his father was a professor of music at
Universidad de Cauca. In 1975, they moved to
Cali, Colombia
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...
, in the valley beneath Popayán. There, Castillo enrolled in the prestigious Colegio Aleman at the age of six. Already fluent in Dutch and Spanish, he began studies in the German language.
In 1979, at the age of 11, Castillo moved to
Miami, Florida
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. There, he attended
Henry M. Flagler Elementary and Kinloch Park Middle School, where he learned to speak English. Later, he moved back to Cali and received his diploma from Santa Librada Bachillerato. Castillo completed his education back in the states by receiving a bachelor's degree (B.A.) in History and a master's degree (M.A.) in Public Administration from
St. Thomas University.
Professional Years
In 1999, Castillo began a long history of dedication to non-profit charitable organizations. While working with the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation pro ...
, he helped to organize the
Kayak
]
A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
Challenge, which raised funds to benefit the foundation. In 2002, he was the district director for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related Neuromuscular disease, neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived wi ...
and also acted as development director and grant-writer for the
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''.
History
The society w ...
.
In 2000, Castillo ran for a Miami-Dade County District 11 commission seat as "the candidate with the most public officials in his corner."
He ran on a platform of battling corruption in politics - "Corruption not only breaks the public's trust in government, it discourages new businesses from relocating to our area and affects tourism, which are primary sources of revenue." In 2002, he ran for the state House seat for District 116, wanting to improve the quality of life for residents of Kendall - "There needs to be a refocus on how the state is handling the allocation of funds and additional programs needed in the public school system." Castillo also ran for the Southwest Miami-Dade County District 7
School Board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...
in 2004 and later headed the "successful campaign for Colombian-American West Kendall community councilwoman Beatriz Suarez."
Castillo has continually been active in bringing change to his community, first as a member of Concerned Citizens of West Dade, then as founder and president of Concerned Citizens of Kendall. He has been especially vocal in his support for issues relating to fellow Colombian-Americans here and Colombian citizens still in their homeland. As co-founder and president of the Pan American Coalition he helped organize the effort through Congress to petition
President Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the att ...
for "special legal protection for thousands of Colombians who have fled the troubled country in recent years. Their petition specifically asks for a classification known as temporary protective status that would allow between 60,000 and 80,000 Colombians to live and work in the country legally for up to 18 months." Through the coalition Castillo also helped organize a rally at
Homestead park in Miami demanding amnesty for undocumented immigrants "seeking the right to legally live and work in the United States. He stated, "We feel the time is right for amnesty and for these immigrants who have led productive lives to become a legal part of the workforce." In 2001, Castillo founded the Colombian American Foundation and continued fighting for Colombian rights, specifically for females seeking
political asylum
The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...
who were being held at a local jail - "Prisons and jails," Castillo said, referring to the county-run building, which were created to punish or reform criminals. "But these women have not committed a crime, they escaped a terrible political war going on in Colombia," he said. In 2008 Castillo helped organize a march in South Florida protesting the Colombian guerilla army known as the FARC
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in ...
- "With this march we want to bring world attention to the fact that Colombia is under a terrorist threat."
On January 15, 2008, Castillo was recognized for his work in the Colombian community by the Colombian government and awarded the title of "Gran Caballero" (grand gentlemen) by the order of the Simón Bolívar democracy at the Colombian consulate in
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
.
["Colombia reconoce labor y entrega de líder comunitario" ''El Nuevo Herald,'' January 16, 2008]
Castillo has three siblings and is married with three daughters and one son.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Jose Luis
Living people
Dutch emigrants to Colombia
Activists from Miami
Colombian emigrants to the United States
1968 births
American politicians of Colombian descent