WASHINGTON – The black SUV pulled up at the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, and Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas got out and posed for a picture. Across the street at the Capitol, members of the House of Representatives were voting to formalize impeachment proceedings of President Donald Trump.
As Rosas entered and walked the halls of the building, multiple people mentioned to him something along the lines of, "You're here on an interesting day."
Why was Rosas there? To speak to the 38-member Congressional Hispanic Caucus about a cause he holds dear — Latino and minority inclusion in sports.
"Me having this responsibility is not something I take lightly," Rosas told the Star Tribune. "For me, it's using my time and my efforts to help motivate others to know this is an opportunity for them, whether that's young Latinos or Latinas or people from different backgrounds. Those things are important to me, and [Thursday] I was just messaging that."
Rosas was invited to Capitol Hill by a friend of his, political consultant Larry Gonzalez, who works closely with lawmakers on the all-Democrat caucus. The two met through a Google Next Generation leadership group that focuses on minorities. When Gonzalez read that Rosas was the first Latino general manager in NBA history, he wanted to make sure the members of the caucus heard his story and what he's trying to do to advance their community.
"They want to hear and see that there is opportunity," Gonzalez said. "There are, unfortunately, some situations where some folks make it and don't necessarily put the ladder back down for others to get up. I think that's a big part of his story."
Rosas said he spoke during the meeting, which was closed to media, for about 10-15 minutes while lawmakers and staff were running in and out of the room.
He emphasized his own personal story of how he was an immigrant from Colombia who made his way through the basketball ranks living in Houston and eventually working for the Rockets before joining the Wolves.