Azteca America, a Grupo Salinas Company, and the University of Denver Latino Center presented yesterday evening on Capitol Hill a report entitled “The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future.”
The report calls for a presidential commission on Latino issues to increase Latino access to vital educational, health, economic and civic opportunities. The report also concludes that a lack of immigration reform widens disparities and limits the future progress of the Latino community and the nation.
Representing Senator McCain were California Senator Abel Maldonado and Marco Gonzales, a former aide to Senator Pete Domenici and private practice attorney. Also present was Leslie Sanchez, an independent Republican strategist.
Surrogates for Senator Obama were members of his National Latino Advisory Council Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (TX) and former Attorney General of New Mexico and current Chair of MALDEF Patricia Madrid, as well as Los Angeles City Council President and national co-chair of the Obama for President campaign Eric Garcetti.
During opening remarks, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair and Congressmember Joe Baca (CA) commended the State of Latinos project for uniting national Latino organizations, adding that only through unity will the community advance.
Azteca America and Fundacion Azteca America Chairman Luis J. Echarte pledge continued support for the Latino agenda recommendations, “We will concentrate on pushing the findings of this white paper to be put into action and to ensure that the promises made during the current political cycle become concrete policy.”
Also in attendance were: Congressmember Grace Napolitano (CA) and Congressmember Raul Grijalva (AZ), Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, Service Employees International Union Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina, NALEO Executive Director Arturo Vargas, LCLAA Executive Director Gabriela Lemus, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute Executive Director Octavio Hinojosa, NDN Vice President Andres Ramirez, Republican National Hispanic Assembly Chairman Danny Vargas and Voto Latino Executive Director Maria Teresa Petersen, among other distinguished guests.
The report focuses on five issues of importance to the Latino community: education, health care, the economy, immigration and the Latino vote. Latinos face major challenges in gaining access to these important services. The report advocates collaboration among the nation’s Latino organizations under the umbrella of a presidential commission as the most effective way to ensure change.
The topics covered are of vital importance to the nation as a whole. However, the efforts take on special significance due to the high and growing number of Latinos in U.S. public schools, and their overrepresentation in high school dropout rates. Cultural and communication barriers for public services such as health care are very costly to the nation in the near and long term. Although the state of the economy affects citizens across the nation, the predominance of the housing downturn among current economic woes is especially difficult for the Latino community, given its ties to the construction industry.
Full text of the report available at www.fundacionaztecaamerica.org or www.du.edu/newsroom/releases/media/agendalatina.pdf. “
