HispanicTrending

BrainTrust Query: Why are we missing when it comes to Hispanic marketing?

January 21, 2007
By David Morse, President & CEO, New American Dimensions, LLC

When it comes to understanding Hispanics, we Americans display an uncanny sense of ignorance. That was the essential point of two completely dissimilar articles I read this week.

The first article, written by RetailWire's own BrainTrust panelist, Rochelle Newman-Carrasco, is called Kosher Subways and Car Insurance for Dogs? And You Can't Do What for Hispanics? (AdAge - 1/25/08). Rochelle refers to two campaigns, an ad for Progressive Insurance featuring a Labrador Retriever, and a Glatt Kosher Subway store in Los Angeles with the tagline "Subway. Eat Kosher." instead of the familiar "Subway. Eat Fresh."

To quote Rochelle, "About 40 percent of the U.S. population owns a dog. But only about 2 percent of the U.S. population is Jewish, and fewer yet are Glatt Kosher. Still marketers have found innovative and insightful ways to create products and services that are relevant to the lifestyles and tastes of these two highly valued consumer segments. ... When it comes to U.S. Hispanic marketing, it has always been a mystery to me when clients say they can't make culturally relevant modifications."

The second article, by Gregory Rodriguez, appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Rodriguez bemoans the media hype generated by a well-known Hispanic pollster who opined that Latinos would not accept an African American candidate. Despite listing some impressive examples demonstrating that the claim doesn't hold water -- Harold Washington, David Dinkins and Charles Rangel -- the pollsters' comments have been featured on shows including Tucker Carlson, Hardball and NPR as if they were conventional wisdom.

Rodriguez asks, "If a Hillary Clinton campaign official told a reporter that white voters never support black candidates, would the media have swallowed the message whole? What if a campaign pollster began whispering that Jews don't have an 'affinity' for African American politicians? Would the pundits have accepted the premise unquestioningly?"

Discussion Questions: Is the American public, marketers included, naïve and gullible when it comes to understanding the Latino consumer? If so, why? If not, why do there seem to be so many mistakes?
[Author's Commentary] I have a favorite urban legend, one that I have heard literally dozens of times, most recently from the publisher of one of the best known Spanish language newspapers in the country. The claim is that the Chevy Nova was a flop when the car was launched in Latin America because Chevrolet didn't get that Nova in Spanish, "no va," means "it doesn't go." The morale of the story is that the pitfalls in Spanish language marketing are many and that one can, with the best intentions, unwittingly make big blunders.

The Nova is a nice fairy tale, and its point is a good one, but it's simply not true. Firstly, General Motors has publicly stated that the Nova was a success in Latin America. Secondly, no Spanish speaking person would ever connect the name to its reputed lack of motion, nor do they even really sound the same. Until recently, the premium gasoline at any Mexican Pemex station was called Nova. And the idea that General Motors' entire Latin American staff would miss this is laughable.

So don't always trust the experts. Rarely trust the election pundits, especially when casting your vote. And when marketing to Hispanics, take some of Rochelle's advice. Whenever appropriate, use bilingual signage and/or packaging, add menu items and/or condiments that reflect a cultural connection with the Latino community in the trading area, train your staff about Hispanic culture, and develop "product or service innovations based on culturally specific values or behaviors."

Source: RetailWire

Under the table: The county's hidden Hispanic work force

January 31, 2007
By Krista J. Kapralos

They show up seven days a week, sometimes as early as 6 a.m. Some carry backpacks, but most just have thick coats, their hands shoved deep into pockets.

For hours, they wait, hoping. As daylight emerges and cars begin to stream in and out of the Home Depot parking lot on Highway 99 in south Everett, they crane their necks, eagle-eyed for the wide rigs that usually signal the arrival of contractors who need laborers.

"We want to do something right, work at least five or six hours a day, at least," said Jose Lara, a 36-year-old Mexican immigrant who took two buses from his home in Seattle to get to the hardware store's parking lot.

Every day, sometimes as many as 20 Hispanic men gather there. When contractors drive by, some men get jobs right away. They hop into the back of a truck and hope that their pay will amount to more than $8 an hour. Sometimes, they can make $11 or $12 an hour, but for backbreaking work, they say it's not enough.

After paying to share a low-rent apartment with a few other immigrants and buying a little something to eat, there's not much left to send to family back home, said Rolando Reyes Cota, 41, who has a wife and two children in Sonora, Mexico.

But $60 or $80 for a day's work is better than nothing, which is what many of the men are left with after waiting in the lot for hours. Sometimes, the bosses abuse them, they say, refusing to give them a break or even a little food at lunchtime. At the end of a long day, the men have little recourse if a boss refuses to pay them.

Meanwhile, the state loses more than $100 million every year because of unpaid worker's compensation and other unpaid taxes, said John Littel of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

"This is a huge problem, and it's bigger than we thought it was," he said.

'Underground economy'

Littel is a member of a task force of state and business leaders created last year to study what they call the "underground economy" in the construction industry. The task force recommended a series of bills that are moving through the Legislature now, meant to target contractors who hire workers off the books. A report of the task force's findings is expected to be released this month.

Another major issue with the underground economy is widespread exploitation of the workers, Littel said.

"These guys are operating without any protection whatsoever," he said.

If state lawmakers pass the task force's bills that will target unscrupulous contractors, the task force plans to spend the coming year focused on addressing exploitation, Littel said.

"Whenever there's an underground market, there's lots of potential for abuse," said Hillary Stern, a task force member and executive director of Casa Latina, a Seattle advocacy group that runs a day labor center.

Employers are required by law to pay anyone they've hired and who has completed work, Stern said, but some contractors intimidate illegal immigrants by threatening to turn them over to immigration officials.

"It is the employer's responsibility to check for papers before they hire them, but if an employer says they have no rights and threatens to deport them, how are they going to do that?" she said. "Will they call in and say, 'I broke the law, I hired someone who is undocumented.' "

But the laborers, many of whom have risked dangerous treks across the Mexico-U.S. border to become shadows in the American economy and send a little money home, say they have few options. They say that every day they spend in the Home Depot parking lot is a tightrope between deportation back to impoverished circumstances and the temptations of even more dangerous, but potentially profitable, pursuits.

"What else would I do?" Lara said. "So many people, they sell drugs. They give up. But I still have a little faith."

Nearly a third of all recently arrived Hispanic immigrants worked in construction in 2006, the year with the most recent data, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a branch of the Pew Research Center. That number could already be closer to about 40 percent, according to more recent estimates.

The housing industry grew by more than half a million jobs in 2006, and Hispanic workers were responsible for about two-thirds of that increase. They filled more than 330,000 of those new construction jobs, according to Pew.

The number of Hispanics in Washington state has grown 31 percent since 2006, and experts say the Pacific Northwest will continue to experience explosive growth of that group.

'Here, it's peaceful still'

It's impossible to know how many immigrants wait in the parking lots of the area's hardware stores, but some Hispanic men say Snohomish County is quickly becoming a destination for day laborers.

"It's burned up already in Seattle," Lara said. "The police already know we'll be there. But here, it's peaceful still."

Home Depot officials did not return requests for comment.

Snohomish County Council Chairman Dave Somers said that while state legislators are most likely to handle immigrant labor issues, local officials should acknowledge the work that illegal immigrants do in the county.

"From a personal standpoint, I'd like to set up a system to track and legitimize this," he said. "They take the kind of jobs that it seems like nobody else wants unfortunately, but they're a big part of the economy, and I'd like to see us bring this to the surface and deal with it in a more positive manner than sneaking around."

The men who wait at Home Depot say many more Hispanic men are moving to Snohomish County because they feel it's safer for them here and because of a lower cost of living.

Rolando Reyes Cota, 41, moved from Seattle to Bothell to find cheaper rent. Work as a day laborer in Snohomish County has been steady enough over the past year to support himself and send money home to Mexico.

Others plan to work in Everett for a while until they find a job on fishing boats headed to Alaska, a state some of the men say holds the promise for them that the Western U.S. once did for pioneers.

"I've done a lot, living everywhere, even Louisiana, Nevada," Robert Rojas, 20, said. "I'm going to keep going north."

Israel Suarez, 40, of Cuba, lives at the Union Gospel Mission in downtown Seattle. He takes a series of buses each morning to get to Everett.

"There's no work in Seattle because there's too many people," he said. "The managers down there complain and say we do something wrong, but we're not. We're just trying to find work."

Since Suarez came to the United States more than a decade ago, he's held all sorts of jobs, all over the country. From New York to Omaha, Neb., to Las Vegas, Suarez has done odd jobs, including collecting trash and clearing fields with a machete.

He hopes his next stop will be Alaska, where fishing boats hold the promise of a full season of regular work and a good paycheck, he said.

At about 11 a.m. on a recent morning, when Suarez hadn't found any work, he boarded a bus headed back south to Seattle.

On those disappointing days, he doesn't like to hang around the mission with other residents. Many of them don't try to find anything to do, he said.

Instead, Suarez spends those days doing the hardest work of all: one foot, in front of the other, walking through the city, trying desperately to look like he belongs.

Source: HeraldNet.com

Hoodiny Announces First Mobile Music Community for Spanish Speaking Markets

January 31, 2008
VIA HISPANIC PR WIRE – PR NEWSWIRE

Hoodiny Entertainment Group, LLC ("Hoodiny"), a full-service digital entertainment and content production company, and parent of Cyloop.com announced today the first mobile music community application targeted at the Spanish speaking public. Cyloop mobile (m.cyloop.com) provides users of Cyloop.com with real-time mobile access to their favorite artist and user profiles from any WAP enabled device. This innovative service offering combines engaging social networking features with a sleek user interface, providing users with access to Cyloop’s music centric features. Through Cyloop Mobile, users can access full artists profiles, complete with their biographies, discographies and latest news. Users are also able to leave comments on any profile, read blogs and, most importantly, manage their Loops, or playlists, directly from their phones, just as they would online at Cyloop.com. Artists on the other hand, are able to log into their profiles and see their page statistics, such as who visited their profiles and listened to their songs, including detailed demographic and geographic data.

“We are extremely excited to bring this ubiquitous and powerful service offering to our Spanish speaking customers, demonstrating our commitment to the segment, while also making it available in other languages very shortly” stated Demian Bellumio, President and CEO of Hoodiny Entertainment Group. “We believe that it combines the best online/mobile music community experience anywhere in the world. For example, if users hear a song they like on the radio or at a club, they can immediately go to Cyloop Mobile, access the artist’s profile to buy the song, or simply add it to one of their Loops to stream on-demand for free from any PC.”

Cyloop Mobile’s launch is being sponsored by Ford, which is expanding its current relationship with Cyloop. Hoodiny previously announced that Ford had selected Cyloop.com to create and host a custom community for SYNC. SYNC is a Ford-exclusive technology that uses voice commands to play music and place phone calls.

As Cyloop’s mobile community evolves, the company expects to introduce new services to its WAP platform, as well as to its upcoming 3G version, whereby users will be able to stream music and videos, chat while listening to songs and create their own music mixes to share with friends.

Do Hispanic Marketers Have to Be Hispanic?

Not Really, but It Helps

January 30, 2008
by Alberto J. Ferrer

Just in case you're saying to yourself "oh no he didn't!" let me reiterate: I believe that you don't have to be Hispanic to be an effective Hispanic Marketer. There, I said it.

That's the short answer. However, it's not as simple as that. There are a fair number of caveats and a not-insignificant amount of nuance in the long answer. I do believe that being Hispanic can make the job easier.

Hispanic Marketing is not about speaking Spanish or being Hispanic or even being married to a Hispanic (don't get me started). In fact, Non-Hispanics can be as effective (and in some cases more so) as Hispanics involved in Hispanic Marketing.

It is about (among others):

    * Having a passion for the Hispanic Market.
    * Understanding the business imperative that the Hispanic Market represents.
    * Being open to and on the lookout for the cultural differences that can make or break communications.
    * Recognizing that the market is different and thus different rules apply.
    * Asking questions to understand and learn.

In my opinion, Hispanics who work in Hispanic Marketing have it easier because they usually need fewer things explained to them (for example, they can read and understand creative that is in Spanish, and many idiosyncrasies of the market are second-nature to them). They "get" the market and creative nuances right in their gut.

But it's not all fun and games. As I alluded to in my professional Hispanics post, these marketers need to be mindful of their target and realize that they themselves, although Hispanic, are not necessarily the target of the communications. They need to evaluate the work from the target's point of view and not their own.

Clearly, the more "different" a target population, the less it is fully understood by the general population and thus the more difficult is it to hit it out of the ballpark when it comes to developing communications. This applies even with a target as broadly defined as "women." Most men I polled, even some married for many years, admit they haven't figured out women even though they interact with them daily.

Specifically on the agency side there is more of a debate, especially with the recent surge in general market agency interest in the Hispanic market. Agency folks, however, have an even greater responsibility and that is to represent the market, understand it, and bring it alive for clients.

The nuances and insights point doesn't just apply to Creatives and Account Planners, by the way, but also to account management folks, the media team, and every other agency department that has a hand in the conception, development, and delivery of messages to the Hispanic consumer.

My rule of thumb is that the closer the work you do at the agency is to the end consumer of the communications, the more important/helpful it is that you are part of that target population and deeply immersed in it.

So, you don't have to be Hispanic to be effective in Hispanic Marketing, but it's easier if you are. Whichever is the case, you need a passion for the market, a deep desire to understand it more than you do today, and a drive to deliver insightful communications to the target.

Source: AdAge

Batanga Acquires HispanoClick

January 31, 2008
Via PR Newswire

Batanga, the leading online media and entertainment company reaching Latinos, announced today its acquisition of HispanoClick. HispanoClick is the premier online Hispanic advertising network, reaching over 5.6 million US unique users per month according to a Batanga proprietary comScore report. The acquisition of the successful ad network demonstrates Batanga's commitment to providing a broad suite of product offerings to fulfill their advertisers' online marketing goals.

"At Batanga, we continuously strive to provide a complete solution to our advertisers' Hispanic online needs. We will continue to actively scan the market for opportunities to build upon our online marketing platform as part of our overarching goal to deliver outstanding value to advertisers seeking to reach Hispanics online. Performance-based advertising is an increasingly big part of the equation, and with an additional 5.6 million US unique visitors per month, we can now extend reach and improve performance," said Rafael Urbina, Chairman and CEO of Batanga.

Batanga has always been in the forefront of online marketing innovation being among the first to offer rich-media advertising, including video and audio advertising since 1999, social networking and now a leading ad network. With the acquisition, Batanga is the first Hispanic content provider to acquire an ad network.

HispanoClick's network works with over 800 Hispanic publishers to monetize their U.S. traffic. HispanoClick's roster of clients has included Verizon Wireless, Kraft, Mazola, the US Army, Western Union, Air France, and Bancomer.

"Joining the Batanga family is a very exciting opportunity for HispanoClick, our publishers and advertisers. Batanga's dedication to innovative advertising solutions is in line with what HispanoClick has always set out to provide its advertisers," states Marc Duquette, founder of HispanoClick.

HispanoClick will reside under the Batanga, Inc. umbrella. Marc Duquette will continue to serve as General Manager of HispanoClick and Ana Maria De La Cruz, co-founder of HispanoClick, will continue as Vice President of Business Development based out of Batanga's headquarters in Miami, Florida.

Source: Yahoo! Finance

Sundance and Super Bowl Speak to Latinos

So Can We Give Novelas and Soccer a Rest?

January 30, 2008
by Rochelle Newman-Carrasco

The proclaimed "queen" of the Sundance film festival was Melonie Diaz, a young Nuyorican actress with roles in four Sundance selections. A special Sundance En Español event featured panel discussions and a collection of six Spanish-language films and four films in English by Hispanic and Latino directors selected from the 2008 Festival program. And, as with last year, this year's award winners included Latino-focused films from both the US and Latin America.

I personally got to see Alex Rivera's sci-fi award winner "Sleep Dealer," as well as "Hamlet 2." A quirky comedy, "Hamlet 2" features Ms. Diaz and a storyline that satirizes young Latino gang-banger stereotypes in fresh and unexpected ways. One of several Sundance films that touched on immigration, "Sleep Dealer" takes a futuristic look at outsourcing jobs to Tijuana.

It has been a long time coming, but Latino talent, both on-screen and off, are finally breaking out of the molds in which they have been consistently cast. For every drug dealer, maid, whore and illegal immigrant, there are finally a significant number of Latino doctors, lawyers, intellectuals and geeks. For every novela-like tale of down-trodden victims on a rags-to-riches journey, there are finally stories that shed a more three-dimensional light on the lives of Latinos, both factual and fictional.

Today, Hispanics in Hollywood can be counted on more than one hand.

So can Latino NFL players and Latino NFL fans.

The NFL continues to increase its marketing investments directed to bilingual, bicultural Latinos, both in the states and abroad. The top-selling video game, Madden NFL is now marketed in Spanish. Featuring San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo on the box cover, Madden NFL 08 en Español is not simply a translation of the English language product. It contains exclusive Spanish language content, including additional music tracks, and Spanish play-by-play and game analysis voice-over.

On Univision.com you'll now find an NFL site, and Univision Radio airs NFL games en español. There's also NFLatino.com. The day before the Super Bowl, Telemundo will run the Coors sponsored Tazón Latino II, a flag-football game featuring Latino celebs and NFL greats. They will also air the Pepsi Musica Super Bowl Fiesta with a line-up that includes Latin Grammy nominated, multi-platinum rock/pop group Camila and two-time MTV Latin Video Award winner and Latin Grammy nominee Belinda, both of whom will join the internationally acclaimed pop group RBD.

During the Super Bowl itself, spots will feature an array of Latino notables including Shakira for SunSilk Shampoo and the return of Carlos Mencia for Budweiser. Not to mention Brazilian model Adriana Lima for Victoria's Secret.

And during this week's Media Day, it was Mexican newscaster Inez Gomez-Mont of TV Azteca who garnered media attention by proposing to Tom Brady and Eli Manning while wearing a wedding dress that was more fantasy than football.

Whether it's sports or cinema, Latinos are not just adopting iconic "American" cultural activities. They are transforming them and making them their own.

So as we re-create Latino consumer behavior in advertising, can we all agree to move beyond the novela and the soccer game as knee-jerk symbols of culturally relevant recreation?

Latinos in Sundance. Latinos in the Valley of the Sun on Super Bowl Sunday. Just a few more reminders that the Dark Ages are over and it's time to look at Latinos in a whole new light.

Source: AdAge.com

Que Pasa? Latino Internet Company

January 31st, 2008
by Latino Talk

Que Pasa? Latino InternetQue Pasa? Latino Internet Company Strengthens Team With Hiring of Louis Bardov as Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Hartz and Keith Rabois as Internet Consultants.

Following three months of robust activity — the appointment of Si TV founder Jeff Valdez as chairman of the board, John Abbott as CEO and Mike Matte as CFO — Quepasa Corporation , one of the largest, bicultural, Latino online communities, today announced the hiring of veteran technology executive Louis Bardov as chief technology officer. Concurrently, new media experts Kevin Hartz and Keith Rabois have been brought aboard as Internet consultants whose purview will include the company’s flagship venture, Quepasa.com.

Quepasa Corp CEO John C. Abbot stated, “We are extremely impressed with Louis’ experience in developing and managing a leading consumer Internet business. His background will be invaluable as we seek to enhance Quepasa’s technical capabilities. Given their industry expertise, both Kevin and Keith will be critical in complementing Louis’ work, ensuring the success of all of our Internet initiatives.”

While managing its technology center in Hermosillo, Mexico, Bardov will be responsible for relaunching and improving performance of the Quepasa.com website, which will emphasize social networking and creative multimedia content. Bardov is a focused, highly technical leader with over 21 years’ experience in software development and technology management. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of software development, customer care and customer retention at Match.com. Having started as its VP of Internet development in 2001, Bardov played a lead role in taking Match.com from a small startup to a household brand name.

Source: Latino-Talk.com

Bilingual Newspaper Interviews Hillary Clinton

January 31, 2008
By Juan Esparza Loera

What will happen if comprehensive immigration reform does not become a reality within the next year and half?

Well, I hope that we'll be able to make some progress this year, perhaps on AgJOBS. That is essential for not just California but the entire country. I represent a lot of farmers in New York who are desperate for this kind of change.

I don't know in President Bush's last year whether he'll be able to get anything done. I intend to start immediately if I'm fortunate enough to be president on comprehensive immigration reform. And I'm going to work as hard as I can on that because I think it is broken. This is not working for anybody except employers who get to exploit undocumented workers. That's basically who it works for. It doesn't work for anybody else.

And I think we've got a chance because I want to put it in very practical terms, you heard me say that out there. You know, all this demagoguery, this mean-spirited attack on immigrants and undocumented workers, OK, fine. Talk to me practically about what that means. And I think we'll to make both the moral argument, the economic argument and the practical argument. And that is what I intend to do.

If there is no solution to the immigration issue, who has the most to lose: The undocumented population or the American public? Why?

Both. Well, undocumented workers lose because they continue to be exploited, they continue to be abused, and unfortunately living in fear oftentimes, an insecure existence which undermines families, undermines employment and so much else. But the American public loses because this is not in keeping with our values as a nation. We are a nation of immigrants. We can be both that and under the rule of law, that is why I've put conditions on people being able to move to legal status.

And I will continue to put conditions because people did come without appropriate documentation and they shouldn't be given advantages over people who came here legally. So, yes, there have to be some conditions met. But that is far better than this broken system that creates political demagoguery and mean-spirited attacks that I don't think are in keeping with our character as a nation.

Polls show you have strong backing from the Latino community. And a great majority of endorsements from Latino leaders. What do you attribute that to?

I have worked for many, many years with Latino leaders around the country. When I was a student, I was involved in the grape boycott, that goes back a long time. I have many deep friendships and working relationships. I was chair of the Children's Defense Fund for many years and we did a lot of work on behalf of improving education and health care and job opportunities for Latino families, and particularly children. During my time in the White House, I held the first conference on Hispanic education. We brought lots of people into the White House to look at problems that were affecting Latino families. As a Senator, I represent a very large Latino population.

So I have both personal relationships that are very meaningful to me. I have a lifetime of commitment making changes that really matter to Latino families. My campaign manager is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who made their way to Chicago, and worked hard to send their six kids to school. So I just have a lot of connections. And I know how significant the contributions Latinos have been to America. I honor that. It predates many other groups that came to America, going back so far and we need to recognize that.

Last year, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Mexican immigrants were not assimilating as fast as they should to America. Do you agree or disagree with that assessment?

Well, I don't' think you can make a general comment like that. I think the vast majority of Latinos by the second or third generation are totally integrated into our society. I do think it is important for everyone to be able to feel comfortable in work in acquire the skills of the labor force and society so that we give people really the opportunities to maintain their culture, their language but still be fully Americanized. That is the tradition of immigration in America.

And we have problems. We lose half of all kids from Hispanic families drop out of school before they finish high school. That's not good for them and it's not good for us. We have a lot of young people who don't get the opportunities that they need to develop up to their God-given potential. That is why I want to start with pre-kindergarten and make it universal and do everything I can in the educational years and partnerships with families to give young people whatever chances they can have in life.

It is really a two-way street. Individuals and families have to be committed to giving their children the very best opportunities, encouraging education, supporting that; and our society, our school systems, our institutions have to be prepared and ready and helpful. So that's what I want to work at."

So, basically what you're saying is what is good for the Latino community is good for America.

Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. When people say to me, 'Which Latino issues are you promoting.' Well, the issues that people care about: health care, education, good jobs, the environment. These are the issues people talk to me about. But we have some special challenges in certain communities. That is true with a lot of constituencies that I represent. I have rural, white farmers who are upset about their futures. And I have inner-city Latinos and African Americans who want a better future.

So, we need to have general policies that are going to be good, like universal health care, for example. But then we also need to target. You know, I'm a supporter of programs like GEAR UP and TRIO that have been in the schools to help young people lift their sights to education. We need more anti-dropout programs, we need to work with families. We need to involve faith-based institutions and community institutions to send the message of staying in school and getting your education. So you work with different needs that people have. And because I have such a long history of working with Latino community, I have a lot of friend and supporters who will guide me and be my supporters in this.

Source: New America Media

Latino students are getting lost in the education system

January 30, 2008
By Hilda Rosario Escher

What has often been overlooked in the community's ongoing dialogue on the Rochester School District's graduation rates is the simple fact that Latino students have the lowest rates in the district. According to district reports, the Latino graduation rate is about 12 percent lower than that of African Americans.

Why should this concern anyone? After all, Latinos are relatively new to Rochester. Other ethnic groups that also find themselves struggling were here first. Earlier immigrants made it through the urban school system, and yet became part of America's middle class. Why should Latinos be given any breaks?

My value system leads me to the conviction that every child deserves equality. This holds true regardless of race, citizenship status or learning ability — surely we can all agree that each is worthy of the best education.

At least 98 percent of Rochester's Latino community is legal or documented, and about 90 percent of us were in fact born U.S. citizens. We have relatively low unemployment — we are mostly working poor. Most of us very earnestly believe in the American dream — that the way out of poverty is to learn English, work hard, save, raise our children to make good decisions, and give back what we can to the community.

For every child who drops out, there is one more Rochesterian who will have a difficult time reaching his or her potential as a wage earner and taxpayer, thus reducing spending power and productivity skills. Statistics tell us that they will cost the taxpayers much more in public assistance and drive up the criminal justice system budget. Leveling the playing field upfront seems a prudent stewarding of our community's limited resources.

As we are working together to rethink Rochester's educational system, let us consider some additional issues.

No Child Left Behind has indeed left behind students who are not native English speakers. The district needs more academic resources to get these students caught up.

Latino students lack access to positive role models. We, as Latinos, need to be sure that all our youths are exposed to well-educated role models.

When older Latino children continually have difficulties in school, parents at times encourage them to drop out to work. Unfortunately, these are typically very low-wage, dead-end jobs that will keep individuals at poverty level.

According to the National Council of La Raza, nationwide 70 percent of Latinos graduate. That's more than twice Rochester's rate. Unfortunately those who do make it to their senior year of high school have the educational equivalent of an average 13-year-old non-Latino white student. Even Latino graduates are therefore at a disadvantage in the work force and in higher education.

It is time for the Latino community to simply say, "This is not acceptable."

What I propose is to build upon what Rochester already has in place, to strengthen it so it better serves Latino youths. Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection has a very strong model of providing pre-employment and work experience services. Latino students, however, lag behind their peers in the program. They need remedial tutoring to be brought to their grade levels faster, homework assistance to help keep them on track academically, and family resource services to help strengthen family supports. The Ibero-American Action League is working with Hillside and Puerto Rican Youth Development to provide just such a comprehensive array of services.

As we work in the coming weeks to build support for this project, I fervently hope that other community leaders will see this as a unique opportunity to invest in the future of our youths. Each deserves an opportunity to succeed.

Source: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Latino Evangelicals Question Loyalty to GOP

January 31, 2008
By Jennifer Riley

Latino evangelicals are credited for helping re-elect President Bush, but their loyalty to the Republican Party waned after the failed immigration bill left them feeling abandoned by the GOP and more open to Democratic presidential candidates in this year’s election.

Many Latino evangelicals expressed that they are still undecided as they wait to hear candidates speak more about plans for the nation’s immigration problem. But memories of being shunned by the Republican Party during the immigration row still remain fresh in their minds.

“Democrats are saying, ‘Let’s talk about your family and your faith,’” said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), to Christianity Today magazine. “They’re saying, ‘The other side doesn’t want you.’”

The NHCLC, which represents nearly 18,000 Latino evangelicals, is the sister organization of the National Association of Evangelicals.

In the United States, more than 8 million Americans identify themselves as Latino evangelicals, although there is no exact estimate on how many are registered voters. In 2004, President Bush received strong support from this constituency, when 64 percent of Latino evangelical voted for him.

But Republican candidates have not given up on courting Latino evangelical voters, despite the obstacles. Rodriguez said he has spoken to both former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) about Latino concerns, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Huckabee requested last month that Rodriguez organize a conference call with top Latino pastors and theologians to discuss their questions and concerns.

In Florida this week, McCain proved he is popular among Hispanic votes. Hispanic voters made up 10 percent of the vote in the GOP primary in Florida and Latino evangelicals compose about 40 percent of the Hispanic population in the state.

The current Republican frontrunner – who was one of the few Republicans who supported the immigration reform bill – received about half of the votes from those who described themselves as Cubans, and 51 percent of non-Cuban Hispanics voters, according to CNN.

On the Democratic side, Rodriguez said he reached out to the candidates first and called Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). He said the Obama campaign was open to the idea of a conference call with Latino pastors, while Clinton has not yet responded.

Besides immigration, Latino evangelicals are pushing other social issues and seeking to broaden the evangelical agenda.

“The agenda of the evangelical church in America has been two-fold since 1973: It has been sanctity of life and traditional marriage…It’s almost blasphemous to go beyond those two items,” Rodriguez said.

“Now, the Hispanic evangelical comes along and says there are other items that we need to look at. What about alleviating poverty, from a biblical view? What about health care and education? What about speaking against torture? What about human rights?”

Although Latinos tend to oppose gay “marriage” and believe that abortion should be illegal – more than two-thirds of Latinos in America are Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestants make up another 15 percent of the population – they also feel pulled to vote more liberal on immigration and economic policies.

“There’s no doubt Latinos in general, including Latino evangelicals, are more economically liberal,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, to Christianity Today. An ideal candidate for this group might be a “big government social conservative,” he noted.

Yet as Latino evangelicals continue to wrestle between their past and future loyalty, one thing that remains unchanged is the significance of this voting bloc.

“If the Republicans are able to recover support among Hispanic evangelicals, that could make them much more competitive,” commented John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, according to the Chicago Tribune. “On the other hand, if they can’t recover that support, it might make it difficult to win.”

Source: Christian Post