Excalibur Award finalist: Armando Cardenas 'inspired countless people'

Armando Cardenas, a longtime prominent voice in Rockford's Latino community, didn't hesitate when asked why he never sought an elected office.

"I can do a lot more behind the scenes working with Republicans and Democrats," he said. "Given the political climate, I don't want to get into divisions. I'm into helping people, and I need both parties to do that."

Working behind the scenes or at the forefront, Cardenas has been helping people ever since he arrived in Rockford 60 years ago.

Cardenas was named in 1972 to be the first director of La Voz Latina, a cultural resource center that is now a part of the YWCA.

He led an effort to establish the first bilingual program in Rockford Public Schools, and he is also a member of the Coalition of Latino Leaders, a group that successfully fought against a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in the Winnebago County Jail.

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Those are just some of the highlights of a long-distinguished career of public service that have made him a finalist for this year's Excalibur Award, an award created and launched by the Rockford Register Star in 1971 that honors an individual who exemplifies excellence in community service.

In 1979, the award was joined by the Excelsior Award, which honors an organization of the same merit.

The finalists will be honored, and the winners be announced Dec. 14 at the 2023 Excalibur and Excelsior Awards Ceremony.

Cardenas is sales and marketing director at Affordable Insurance and Tax, a family-owned business at 4121 Newburg Road.

He grew up in Uvalde, Texas, where he experienced segregation in the form of "separate but equal" schools.

As a teen and young adult, he traveled frequently to Minnesota and Wisconsin to work as a migrant worker. He said it was family members already living in Rockford who convinced him to move to the Forest City where steady and better paying jobs were more plentiful.

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The mid- and late-1960s were formidable years for Cardenas.

He married his wife, Jessie, mother of their three sons and one daughter. He was drafted into the Army and served a two-year stint, primarily in Germany, before returning to Rockford.

It also was during the '60s that Cardenas was influenced by the teachings of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, a labor leader who cofounded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers labor union.

Cardenas said a fire was lit in him after he attended civil rights meetings in Chicago.

"When I came back from Chicago, it was like the world opened up for me," he said. "I was like that's what I want to do."

Cardenas soon found himself being an integral member of Spanish-Speaking Special Services, a precursor to La Voz Latina.

After being named the organization's first director, Cardenas did three things: He hired Juanita Garcia, a social worker to provide referral services to newly arriving immigrants. He connected with Andy Campos, a local labor leader who helped many people find jobs, and he approached the Rockford School Board to establish a bilingual program.

Cardenas summed up his career as a non-elected public servant like this:

"I see myself as the bridge to bring issues to light and to do something about it."

Rudy Valdez, a 2013 Excalibur Award winner, said Cardenas has made assimilation smoother for countless Latino families in and around Rockford and is a go-to source for information.

"He's inspired countless people, including myself," Valdez said. "If you need to talk to someone who knows the community, not just the Hispanic community, but the overall community, talk to Armando. He's been here a long time. He knows a lot of people, and he makes things happen."

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Excalibur Award finalist: Armando Cardenas 'makes things happen'