By Ellis Cose | NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 14, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Aug 31, 2009.
From the moment of her nomination in May, it was clear that, barring some unforeseen scandal, Sonia Sotomayor would be confirmed to the Supreme Court. It was equally clear that her nomination would take on huge symbolic significance. She was portrayed as someone who embodies the values of grit, faith, family, and friendship, and as a living example of the power of the American dream. For Latinos, in particular, she was a sign of long-awaited change. "To have her ascend to the highest court in the land, it is such a strong feeling of belonging," says Lillian Rodríguez López, president of the Hispanic Federation. Sotomayor's nomination was "recognition of the contributions our communities…have made to the United States."
At the White House reception in Sotomayor's honor on Aug. 12, President Obama paid tribute to the power of her story. "This moment is not just about her," he said. "It's about every child who will grow up thinking to him- or herself, 'If Sonia Sotomayor can make it, then maybe I can, too.' " That line, which drew the most prolonged applause of Obama's short speech, provided a perfect setup for Sotomayor's own applause line: "It is this nation's faith in a more perfect union that allows a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx to stand here now."
To say Sotomayor's story is compelling is an understatement; every chapter is worthy of Hollywood. At her Senate confirmation hearings, she sat calmly through days of tendentious questions, refusing to let on that she was in excruciating pain due to an ill-fitting cast on her broken ankle. When she finally did let her feelings show, it was at her moment of triumph. After the Senate voted to confirm her, Sotomayor collapsed in tears into the arms of Theresa Bartenope, her longtime aide. Later, during a celebration at her home, surrounded by well-wishers, she beamed, announcing: "I have the best friends in the world. There is not anybody as blessed as me."
But there is also a story beyond Sotomayor, one that helps explain why her appointment elicited such excitement. That story has to do with the state of American politics and the role that Latinos play in it. Even before her nomination, various groups—including the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, chaired by New York Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez—approached influentials inside and outside the White House arguing that it was time to name a Hispanic to the court. And once Sotomayor was tapped, those same groups engaged in what was essentially a full-time effort to counter the inevitable criticisms that came her way. In the process, they forged a new coalition—not just among Latinos, but among African-Americans, Asians, and liberal whites—that aspires to become a new political force.
Indeed, some have suggested that senators who voted against confirming Sotomayor may soon feel the coalition's fury as Latinos and their allies mobilize to turn the lawmakers out of office. But that seems unlikely. Of the anti-Sotomayor senators expected to run for reelection in 2010, virtually none come from a state with a large Hispanic population. California has a massive Latino population, but no Republican senators, and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas isn't up for reelection until 2012. Who knows what issues will be in play at that point?
"It's quite clear the Republicans made a decision that it was…important for them to try to keep their base together, even if it meant losing Latino votes," says César Perales, president of –Latino Justice PRLDEF (an organization that once counted Sotomayor as a board member). The danger for Republicans is not in the short term, or even, necessarily, for the senators who voted against Sotomayor. It is in the impression left by one action after another signaling that those who aren't already part of the base need not apply. "The message they keep sending out is that they're not really interested in supporting our communities," says Karen Narasaki, executive director of the Asian American Justice Center. And eventually, says Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, "they're going to run out of their base to work with."
The future, of course, is unknowable. But we do know, in America, that the future will be more Latino. We also know that, even before the Sotomayor dust-up, Republicans had alienated many Latinos—largely because of concerns with Republican policies, particularly on immigration. A survey by the Pew Hispanic Center last year found 65 percent of registered Latino voters leaning toward the Democrats and only 26 percent to the Republicans; it was the largest partisan gap reported in the past 10 years. The attacks on Sotomayor will likely drive even more Latinos from the party. That's a risky strategy for a party with a demographically shrinking base facing a newly energized coalition. For though it may pay off today, it could easily spell disaster tomorrow.
Cose is a NEWSWEEK contributing editor.
Find this article at http://www.newsweek.com/id/212024
© 2009
Showing posts with label Latinos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latinos. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Awakening Giant
El Diario/La Prensa New York
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hispanic voters are the nation’s fastest growing voting population. In a report released yesterday, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) notes that Latino voters increased by 28.4%—from 7.6 million in 2004 to 9.8 million in 2008. The number of Asian and African American voters also dramatically increased during this same period.
The political implications of this record participation level were evident in the 2008 presidential election. For example, in six of the nine states that went from “red” to “blue” in the election, the number of Latino and Asian voters significantly exceeded Barack Obama’s margin of victory over John McCain, according to the IPC.
One of the states that went from red to blue was Florida, where migrations from the northeast and from Puerto Rico and Latin America have driven a rise in Democratic voting. What is also very worth noting is that Latinos are dispersing beyond the eastern and western seaboards. The number of Hispanic voters has dramatically increased in future potential swing states such as Georgia and Tennessee.
These growth trends reflect a broad demographic revolution. They are also a testament to the work of national Latino voter campaigns last year. But there is more to come.
The National Institute for Latino Policy pointed out in an analysis released last month that of the 19.5 million Latinos who were U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old, only 59.4 percent were registered to vote last year and only 49.9 percent actually voted.
We caught an inspiring glimpse of a stirring giant in 2008. But Latino organizations must remain focused on sustaining and increasing Latino voter participation. Then we can finally put the sleeping giant metaphor to bed.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hispanic voters are the nation’s fastest growing voting population. In a report released yesterday, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) notes that Latino voters increased by 28.4%—from 7.6 million in 2004 to 9.8 million in 2008. The number of Asian and African American voters also dramatically increased during this same period.
The political implications of this record participation level were evident in the 2008 presidential election. For example, in six of the nine states that went from “red” to “blue” in the election, the number of Latino and Asian voters significantly exceeded Barack Obama’s margin of victory over John McCain, according to the IPC.
One of the states that went from red to blue was Florida, where migrations from the northeast and from Puerto Rico and Latin America have driven a rise in Democratic voting. What is also very worth noting is that Latinos are dispersing beyond the eastern and western seaboards. The number of Hispanic voters has dramatically increased in future potential swing states such as Georgia and Tennessee.
These growth trends reflect a broad demographic revolution. They are also a testament to the work of national Latino voter campaigns last year. But there is more to come.
The National Institute for Latino Policy pointed out in an analysis released last month that of the 19.5 million Latinos who were U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old, only 59.4 percent were registered to vote last year and only 49.9 percent actually voted.
We caught an inspiring glimpse of a stirring giant in 2008. But Latino organizations must remain focused on sustaining and increasing Latino voter participation. Then we can finally put the sleeping giant metaphor to bed.
Rise to a Higher Standard
El Diario/La Prensa
New York Monday, August 17, 2009
As the confetti settles around the appointment of now Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Latinos should take a look at how the leadership and mobilization bar has been raised in our community.
The Sotomayor appointment was not merely an individual success—it was a political achievement. Latinos pushed this deserved appointment. We closed ranks around Sotomayor’s nomination. National and local leaders brilliantly advocated for her and mounted sharp campaigns against vicious attacks.
We were excited about the caliber of Sotomayor, the prospect of a Latina serving on the nation’s highest court and the model that she, and the organizing behind her, provide.
We have seen what we as a community have the power to accomplish. This is our point of comparison—which is why the state of affairs among local elected officials leaves so much to be desired.
In New York, and on the other side of the Hudson as well, too many of our elected leaders have acted like unwise Latinos. Scandals and corruption are certainly not exclusive to our community. But that is little consolation to districts that are in urgent need of principled and aggressive representatives.
To be fair, there are a number of elected officials who put the well-being of the communities they represent first. They deserve more of our attention. But they should not be waging lonely and individual fights.
It is high time to put this house in order. Here are some of the urgent steps that need to be taken:
--We need a convener. One of our senior Latino elected leaders should call New York colleagues into a private session with the aim of building a strategic agenda based on community needs.
--We need a cohesive effort by community leaders and grassroots organizations to monitor and tug the collars of elected representatives. They must also work with politicians to move policies forward.
--The family dynasties clogging the leadership pipeline must end. And those dissatisfied with these political monopolies must not remain passive—challengers must step up to plate.
Elected leaders who cannot provide the quality representation our community needs must move aside or be shown the way out.
New York Monday, August 17, 2009
As the confetti settles around the appointment of now Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Latinos should take a look at how the leadership and mobilization bar has been raised in our community.
The Sotomayor appointment was not merely an individual success—it was a political achievement. Latinos pushed this deserved appointment. We closed ranks around Sotomayor’s nomination. National and local leaders brilliantly advocated for her and mounted sharp campaigns against vicious attacks.
We were excited about the caliber of Sotomayor, the prospect of a Latina serving on the nation’s highest court and the model that she, and the organizing behind her, provide.
We have seen what we as a community have the power to accomplish. This is our point of comparison—which is why the state of affairs among local elected officials leaves so much to be desired.
In New York, and on the other side of the Hudson as well, too many of our elected leaders have acted like unwise Latinos. Scandals and corruption are certainly not exclusive to our community. But that is little consolation to districts that are in urgent need of principled and aggressive representatives.
To be fair, there are a number of elected officials who put the well-being of the communities they represent first. They deserve more of our attention. But they should not be waging lonely and individual fights.
It is high time to put this house in order. Here are some of the urgent steps that need to be taken:
--We need a convener. One of our senior Latino elected leaders should call New York colleagues into a private session with the aim of building a strategic agenda based on community needs.
--We need a cohesive effort by community leaders and grassroots organizations to monitor and tug the collars of elected representatives. They must also work with politicians to move policies forward.
--The family dynasties clogging the leadership pipeline must end. And those dissatisfied with these political monopolies must not remain passive—challengers must step up to plate.
Elected leaders who cannot provide the quality representation our community needs must move aside or be shown the way out.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Hispanics have Earned a Place at the Table of Justice
The U.S. Supreme Court has never had a Hispanic justice. It is time for President Barack Obama to change the glaring invisibility of Latinos on the nation’s highest court.
The simple argument for a Latino appointment is that Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing demographic group in the United States. Hispanics are 15 percent of the nation’s population and by 2050, one in four Americans will be Latino.
Hispanic Americans sit in the board rooms of many of the prestigious corporations in the world. Latinos guide some of this country’s leading universities and its most respected cultural and artistic institutions. Hispanic officers have risen to the highest levels of the military and have born the heavy load of leading American armies in war.
With this growing presence, the absence of a Hispanic on the Supreme Court is even more conspicuous. And the overall representation of Hispanics in the federal judiciary—where Latinos make up only seven percent of judges— leaves plenty of room for improvement.
But the Latino share of the American experience is not merely a claim about numbers and fair representation. This is a story about the changing complexion of America. It is about the critical history that Latinos have written, and are writing daily, in and for America. This moment is a reflection of how Latinos have worked to move our nation towards its promise of a more perfect union. Those great sacrifices and contributions have been made even in the face of discrimination and great odds.
Ask Sylvia Mendez. Years before Brown v. the Board of Education, Mendez’s Mexican-Puerto Rican parents stood up to discrimination against Latino students, on the basis of national origin, in California. The landmark Mendez v. Westminster case led to the de-segregation of schools in that state, and laid the groundwork for officially ending racial segregation in public schools across the nation.
Ask one of the remaining 65,000 Puerto Rican soldiers who served in Korea. Not one of them has ever received a Medal of Honor for the acts of bravery exhibited by the 65th Infantry in that battlefront.
Ask Latinos who remember what it was like trying to exercise their right to vote decades ago in New York City. Then, literacy and language requirements that resonated with the Jim Crow South were used to shut out Latinos. The battles that Puerto Ricans and others engaged in to eliminate those barriers helped open the ballot for a range of voters.
Countless Hispanics have toiled in farmlands to factories, from the west to the east, alongside Americans of all colors to build and strengthen our nation. Their labor is too often missing from the chronicles about our nation.
Latinos have lived and loved and fought for and died for this country for many generations. This struggle is an irreducible part of what makes our country great. And we have much more to give in the years to come.
We urge President Obama to make history, again, and give Latinos a well-earned seat at the table of justice we call the Supreme Court.
The simple argument for a Latino appointment is that Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing demographic group in the United States. Hispanics are 15 percent of the nation’s population and by 2050, one in four Americans will be Latino.
Hispanic Americans sit in the board rooms of many of the prestigious corporations in the world. Latinos guide some of this country’s leading universities and its most respected cultural and artistic institutions. Hispanic officers have risen to the highest levels of the military and have born the heavy load of leading American armies in war.
With this growing presence, the absence of a Hispanic on the Supreme Court is even more conspicuous. And the overall representation of Hispanics in the federal judiciary—where Latinos make up only seven percent of judges— leaves plenty of room for improvement.
But the Latino share of the American experience is not merely a claim about numbers and fair representation. This is a story about the changing complexion of America. It is about the critical history that Latinos have written, and are writing daily, in and for America. This moment is a reflection of how Latinos have worked to move our nation towards its promise of a more perfect union. Those great sacrifices and contributions have been made even in the face of discrimination and great odds.
Ask Sylvia Mendez. Years before Brown v. the Board of Education, Mendez’s Mexican-Puerto Rican parents stood up to discrimination against Latino students, on the basis of national origin, in California. The landmark Mendez v. Westminster case led to the de-segregation of schools in that state, and laid the groundwork for officially ending racial segregation in public schools across the nation.
Ask one of the remaining 65,000 Puerto Rican soldiers who served in Korea. Not one of them has ever received a Medal of Honor for the acts of bravery exhibited by the 65th Infantry in that battlefront.
Ask Latinos who remember what it was like trying to exercise their right to vote decades ago in New York City. Then, literacy and language requirements that resonated with the Jim Crow South were used to shut out Latinos. The battles that Puerto Ricans and others engaged in to eliminate those barriers helped open the ballot for a range of voters.
Countless Hispanics have toiled in farmlands to factories, from the west to the east, alongside Americans of all colors to build and strengthen our nation. Their labor is too often missing from the chronicles about our nation.
Latinos have lived and loved and fought for and died for this country for many generations. This struggle is an irreducible part of what makes our country great. And we have much more to give in the years to come.
We urge President Obama to make history, again, and give Latinos a well-earned seat at the table of justice we call the Supreme Court.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Hispanic Resolution --Tired of Being on the Periphery, Latinos are Determined to Become a Force in State Government
By DAN IRIZARRY
Albany Times Union (April 26, 2009)
The 22nd renewal of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Legislative Task Force's Somos El Futuro (We Are the Future) Conference should underscore the fact that the future is now for the Latino community.
When viewed against the backdrop of the 2008 presidential election, where the Latino vote proved decisive to the outcome, Hispanic conferencegoers had reason to feel elated. The procession of officeholders and aspiring candidates making the rounds during the April 3-5 meeting in Albany was a veritable who's who of New York politics. Their ubiquity at luncheons, in workshops and at the gala leaves no doubt that our community has come into its own.
However, a report released by the state Civil Service Commission on the eve of the conference had a sobering effect on many participants.
The report, "Diversity in the New York State Government Workforce, A Look at the Last Decade, and the Next," paints a disheartening picture of a work force where Hispanics are acutely underrepresented. To some of us Latinos working in state government, this bit of bad news was not news at all.
The report states that "Hispanics make up nearly 13 percent of the statewide labor force, but represent only 4.44 percent of the State (government) work force. Further, while 8.3 percent of the State work force is employed above the SG-23 (pay) level, only 5.1 percent of Hispanics are employed above that level."
Translation: Even when we manage to get in the door, we remain on the periphery.
One of the most troubling observations was that while 27.1 percent of state jobs are located in the Capital Region, the largest share statewide, only 1.7 percent of state government's minority work force lives here. While Hispanics are a small, albeit growing, part of the population, these facts virtually guarantee a perpetual ethnic imbalance.
That is, unless Albany, the company town where the state is the company, ceases to be that insular place where Hispanics and other minorities have little chance to prosper.
What was most troubling to many a Somos attendee is the yawning lack of Hispanic representation at the executive level of state agencies so clearly delineated in the report. Such underrepresentation means that government policies, which have a significant impact on Latinos statewide, are being created without meaningful input from our community. This is reprehensible to the task force, especially members like Assemblyman Peter Rivera, D-Bronx, for years an outspoken critic of the state's hiring practices. Thankfully, Gov. David Paterson has deemed it unacceptable as well.
There have been some notable exceptions to this disappointing record, which have produced a great sense of pride in the community: One is Paterson's appointment of Judge Luis Gonzalez as presiding justice of the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court for the First Judicial Department. Another is Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith's appointment of Angelo Aponte as secretary of the Senate.
Having worked with Gonzalez in his days as a Bronx Civil Court judge, and also for Aponte, the affordable housing czar under Gov. Mario Cuomo. I must say I feel deeply gratified to see Latino public servants of such standing in my community rise to positions of equivalent stature.
At the same time, let me offer a word of caution to our leaders: When wielding the blade of fiscal retrenchment, be mindful that cutting resources and employment in my community is tantamount to pouring salt on a gaping wound.
Before the tremors were being felt on Wall Street, the earthquake was already under way in the Latino community. Predatory lending and foreclosure were ripping our neighborhoods apart long before the talking heads on cable TV news caught wind of it.
The challenge is to increase promotional opportunities for Hispanics in the existing work force, and factor equitable representation into plans for legacy hiring. As the Civil Service Commission report notes, "Despite another hiring freeze, critical positions will continue to be filled to replace baby boomer retirements and staff critical missions. This will create opportunities to improve representation of minorities..." State leaders should take this advice to heart.
Albany, as the seat of state power, must begin to more closely reflect New York's changing demographics.
As the Somos Conference has proven over its 22-year existence, it may have taken Hispanics a while to arrive, but make no mistake, as our numbers grow, so, too, will our sway on the future of the Empire State.
Dan Irizarry, a state employee, is also a writer, community activist and member of the board of directors of Hispanic Outreach Service, an agency of Catholic Charities/Albany Diocese.
Albany Times Union (April 26, 2009)
The 22nd renewal of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Legislative Task Force's Somos El Futuro (We Are the Future) Conference should underscore the fact that the future is now for the Latino community.
When viewed against the backdrop of the 2008 presidential election, where the Latino vote proved decisive to the outcome, Hispanic conferencegoers had reason to feel elated. The procession of officeholders and aspiring candidates making the rounds during the April 3-5 meeting in Albany was a veritable who's who of New York politics. Their ubiquity at luncheons, in workshops and at the gala leaves no doubt that our community has come into its own.
However, a report released by the state Civil Service Commission on the eve of the conference had a sobering effect on many participants.
The report, "Diversity in the New York State Government Workforce, A Look at the Last Decade, and the Next," paints a disheartening picture of a work force where Hispanics are acutely underrepresented. To some of us Latinos working in state government, this bit of bad news was not news at all.
The report states that "Hispanics make up nearly 13 percent of the statewide labor force, but represent only 4.44 percent of the State (government) work force. Further, while 8.3 percent of the State work force is employed above the SG-23 (pay) level, only 5.1 percent of Hispanics are employed above that level."
Translation: Even when we manage to get in the door, we remain on the periphery.
One of the most troubling observations was that while 27.1 percent of state jobs are located in the Capital Region, the largest share statewide, only 1.7 percent of state government's minority work force lives here. While Hispanics are a small, albeit growing, part of the population, these facts virtually guarantee a perpetual ethnic imbalance.
That is, unless Albany, the company town where the state is the company, ceases to be that insular place where Hispanics and other minorities have little chance to prosper.
What was most troubling to many a Somos attendee is the yawning lack of Hispanic representation at the executive level of state agencies so clearly delineated in the report. Such underrepresentation means that government policies, which have a significant impact on Latinos statewide, are being created without meaningful input from our community. This is reprehensible to the task force, especially members like Assemblyman Peter Rivera, D-Bronx, for years an outspoken critic of the state's hiring practices. Thankfully, Gov. David Paterson has deemed it unacceptable as well.
There have been some notable exceptions to this disappointing record, which have produced a great sense of pride in the community: One is Paterson's appointment of Judge Luis Gonzalez as presiding justice of the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court for the First Judicial Department. Another is Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith's appointment of Angelo Aponte as secretary of the Senate.
Having worked with Gonzalez in his days as a Bronx Civil Court judge, and also for Aponte, the affordable housing czar under Gov. Mario Cuomo. I must say I feel deeply gratified to see Latino public servants of such standing in my community rise to positions of equivalent stature.
At the same time, let me offer a word of caution to our leaders: When wielding the blade of fiscal retrenchment, be mindful that cutting resources and employment in my community is tantamount to pouring salt on a gaping wound.
Before the tremors were being felt on Wall Street, the earthquake was already under way in the Latino community. Predatory lending and foreclosure were ripping our neighborhoods apart long before the talking heads on cable TV news caught wind of it.
The challenge is to increase promotional opportunities for Hispanics in the existing work force, and factor equitable representation into plans for legacy hiring. As the Civil Service Commission report notes, "Despite another hiring freeze, critical positions will continue to be filled to replace baby boomer retirements and staff critical missions. This will create opportunities to improve representation of minorities..." State leaders should take this advice to heart.
Albany, as the seat of state power, must begin to more closely reflect New York's changing demographics.
As the Somos Conference has proven over its 22-year existence, it may have taken Hispanics a while to arrive, but make no mistake, as our numbers grow, so, too, will our sway on the future of the Empire State.
Dan Irizarry, a state employee, is also a writer, community activist and member of the board of directors of Hispanic Outreach Service, an agency of Catholic Charities/Albany Diocese.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Latinos Missing from Assembly Leadership
El Diario/La Prensa Editorial
April 10, 2009
With at least one vacancy expected in the leadership of New York’s Assembly Majority, Speaker Sheldon Silver has the opportunity to address the absence of Latinos on that body.
On Wednesday, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that he is naming Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene as deputy borough president of the Bronx. With no real opposition, Diaz Jr. is considered a shoe-in for the Bronx borough presidency. His appointment of Greene, a veteran legislator, will leave a vacancy in the Assembly’s Majority Leadership, where she serves as Speaker Pro Tempore. In that position, she is second to Silver in presiding over the Assembly.
As it stands right now, there are 20 positions in the majority leadership. Not one of them is held by a Hispanic, despite the fact that there are 1.5 million eligible Latino voters and counting in New York. Clearly, Silver should take Greene’s pending departure, and others that are anticipated, to address his Latino-less leadership.
With rumors that more Assembly members may cast their lots for city races, other vacancies may arise. This means that Latino legislators must convene to ensure that Hispanics are meaningfully represented in new leadership and committee chair opportunities.
The issue of the lack of Latinos in Assembly leadership positions has already been put on Silver’s radar. And there are legislators who are in talks about pending openings. While some of them may feel more effective as heads of committees, this does not negate the need and importance of having Latino representation in the leadership conference of the Assembly.
Yes, at the helm of the Assembly, there are traditional carrots – a bigger stipend and prestige. But the important reality is that being in the Assembly’s leadership opens political access and a pipeline to larger statewide positions.
We encourage Latino legislators to be proactive in seizing—and creating—leadership opportunities and Speaker Silver to effectively respond to a growing community that deserves equitable representation.
April 10, 2009
With at least one vacancy expected in the leadership of New York’s Assembly Majority, Speaker Sheldon Silver has the opportunity to address the absence of Latinos on that body.
On Wednesday, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that he is naming Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene as deputy borough president of the Bronx. With no real opposition, Diaz Jr. is considered a shoe-in for the Bronx borough presidency. His appointment of Greene, a veteran legislator, will leave a vacancy in the Assembly’s Majority Leadership, where she serves as Speaker Pro Tempore. In that position, she is second to Silver in presiding over the Assembly.
As it stands right now, there are 20 positions in the majority leadership. Not one of them is held by a Hispanic, despite the fact that there are 1.5 million eligible Latino voters and counting in New York. Clearly, Silver should take Greene’s pending departure, and others that are anticipated, to address his Latino-less leadership.
With rumors that more Assembly members may cast their lots for city races, other vacancies may arise. This means that Latino legislators must convene to ensure that Hispanics are meaningfully represented in new leadership and committee chair opportunities.
The issue of the lack of Latinos in Assembly leadership positions has already been put on Silver’s radar. And there are legislators who are in talks about pending openings. While some of them may feel more effective as heads of committees, this does not negate the need and importance of having Latino representation in the leadership conference of the Assembly.
Yes, at the helm of the Assembly, there are traditional carrots – a bigger stipend and prestige. But the important reality is that being in the Assembly’s leadership opens political access and a pipeline to larger statewide positions.
We encourage Latino legislators to be proactive in seizing—and creating—leadership opportunities and Speaker Silver to effectively respond to a growing community that deserves equitable representation.
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