Welcoming is a Verb

I had people ask for copies of my speech. So I figured might as well publicly post it. I did get a video recording of it, and I ad-libbed a little bit as I tend to do. I wore my La Casa No Human Being is Illegal button, my Bolivian aguayo tie, and was there with several fraternity Brothers of SLB. 

Welcome Speech – Indiana Latino Institute Legislative Breakfast

February 2026

Good morning, and thank you for being here.
My name is Sam Centellas. I’m honored to serve as Board Chair of the Indiana Latino Institute, I work at CDFI Friendly in South Bend, and I’m glad to welcome you this morning.

I want to start by being very clear about what welcome actually means.

Welcoming is a verb, not a vibe, a feeling.
A welcome of just words is just a vibe, real welcome comes with actions. With policy. With access. With systems that work, for all.

If people don’t feel like they belong, the system isn’t neutral… it’s incomplete. Real welcome is when families can access education, when entrepreneurs can access capital, and when workers can access opportunity without unnecessary barriers.

That leads to something even more important.

Welcome isn’t permission. It’s ownership.

No one person or group owns this state, our elected officials here knows that, they doesn’t own it, they are entrusted with its care, by the residents of this state, all the residents. 

This breakfast isn’t hosted for Latinos. It’s hosted by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers.
Belonging doesn’t come from being invited… it comes from contributing.

Indiana is not something Latinos are joining. Indiana is something we are helping build. We don’t need permission to care about this state, to invest here, to raise families here, or to shape its future, because it is ours. 

We all know, Indiana works best when everyone belongs.
Belonging isn’t just moral, it’s practical.

When Latino Hoosiers thrive, Indiana’s economy grows. When businesses succeed, when workers are supported, when families are stable, when students graduate, the entire state, and country benefits.

You cannot build a strong state while sidelining a growing share of the people who live, work, and contribute here every day.

Which brings me to this final point.

Our culture, our language, our community is not new here. (I mean Valparaiso wasn’t always pronounced that way)
Latinos didn’t just arrive, we’ve invested.
We’ve opened businesses, paid taxes, raised families, served in our communities, and built roots that run deep.

This isn’t a welcome to a conversation about being included. It’s a conversation about being recognized, and about making sure our systems reflect the reality of who Indiana is today.

So yes, welcome to this breakfast. Thank you for joining us. 

But more importantly, I’ll thank you in advance for committing to the work that makes Indiana a place where people don’t need to be welcomed, because they already belong.

Thank you.

You can watch the speech on youtube, Thanks Andy for the video: https://youtu.be/ZZFuxE4186c