Immigrants becoming targets of attacks: by Ramona E. Romero ~ HNBA

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20090125_Immigrants_becoming_targets_of_attacks.html

FERNANDO VERGARA / Associated Press

Relatives of Jose Sucuzhañay carry his coffin draped with Ecuador's flag during his funeral in Cuenca, Ecuador, last month. The real estate broker, 31, was beaten to death in Brooklyn. An FBI report details a surge in anti-Latino violence since 2003.

 

Posted on Sun, Jan. 25, 2009 Immigrants becoming targets of attacks Ramona E. Romero > is national president of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA)   > Cristóbal Joshua Alex > is cochair of HNBA's civil rights section   > It has happened again.   > In early December, less than a month after seven teenagers brutally attacked and killed Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue, N.Y., a group of three assailants beat Jose Sucuzhañay in Brooklyn while shouting anti-Latino and antigay epithets. Three days later, Sucuzhañay, a real estate entrepreneur, became the latest Hispanic to die at the hands of attackers motivated by anti-immigrant bias and hatred.   > According to a recent FBI report on hate crimes, there has been a 40 percent surge in anti-Latino violence since 2003. Organizations that track hate crimes paint an even grimmer picture. The Southern Poverty Law Center is now tracking 888 organizations that it classifies as hate groups - including the Federation for American Immigration Reform - a rise of almost 50 percent since 2000.   > Why is this happening?   > The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports that white supremacists and other extremist groups are using the immigration debate to increase their membership and incite violence against Latinos. As the ADL has noted, "the demonization of immigrants has . . . created a toxic environment in which hateful rhetoric targeting immigrants has become routine." As was the case in the death of Lucero and Sucuzhañay, that rhetoric enables those so inclined to declare open season against Hispanics.   > Perhaps the starkest example of the link between policy debate and anti-Latino incidents is that of Suffolk County, where Lucero was lynched. The county executive, Steve Levy, is vocally anti-immigrant. He has appeared on Lou Dobbs to spread his message and, after Lucero's death, complained that the killing would be a "one-day story" had it happened elsewhere.   > Sadly, these incidents are happening elsewhere, including Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania.   > In July, Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala was attacked and killed by teens in Shenandoah. After the deadly attack, one of the perpetrators reportedly warned: "You tell your [expletive] Mexican friends to get the [expletive] out of Shenandoah . . ."   > Other parts of the country are seeing a rise in violence as well.   > In 2006, a Latino teenager was beaten and sodomized in Spring, Texas. One of his assailants was a skinhead etched with Nazi tattoos who had perpetrated at least one other attack against a Latino. That same year, Serafin Negrete, a 32-year-old Mexican immigrant, was killed in Prince William County, Va., by local teenagers engaged in "amigo shopping" - their term for attacks and robberies targeting Latinos.   > These attacks have occurred in environments where the immigration debate is heated.   > Shenandoah, where Ramirez was killed, is only minutes away from Hazleton, Pa., now infamous for its anti-immigrant ordinances. Prince William County has also adopted local anti-immigrant laws and enforcement policies. And the immigration debate rages daily in border states such as Texas.   > Our national leaders' failure to enact immigration reform has left a vacuum that many states and municipalities seek to fill by introducing anti-immigrant ordinances that create tensions between Latinos and their neighbors. In Pennsylvania alone, there have been at least 18 proposals for anti-immigrant state laws, as well as for numerous municipal ordinances.   > We predict that violence against Latinos will continue to escalate and more lives will be lost unless Congress addresses our broken immigration policy. We realize that there are many serious challenges competing for our leaders' attention. But we cannot continue to put immigration reform on the back burner while immigrants and citizens who look like immigrants are attacked and families are torn apart.   > As President Obama has said, "If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists - to protect them and to promote their common welfare - all else is lost." As the incidents of hate crimes increase, many Latinos are losing trust in our government's willingness and ability to protect us.   > Ours is a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. As our country navigates this time of crisis, neither our government nor the citizenry can stand by and allow those who rely on fear mongering to control the debate. Let's honor the best of our traditions and stand up for victims like Sucuzhañay, Lucero and Ramirez by recognizing that fair and sensible immigration reform is essential to both the security of our borders and the general welfare of the people..   > Contact Ramona E. Romero at president@hnba.com.     >

Find this article at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20090125_Immigrants_becoming_targets_of_attacks.html

 

Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Key Link: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com

Lecture examines Obama's Latino appeal: Connecticut Student Paper

http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2009/01/23/Focus/Lecture.Examines.Obamas.Latino.Appeal-3595642.shtml

Lecture examines Obama's Latino appeal: Connecticut Student Paper

Paresh Jha

Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Carolyn Wilke

Media Credit: Carolyn Wilke

Professor Venator Santiago speaks about Obama's impact on Latinos on Thursday evening.

One would be hard pressed to flip through the channels on television and not find something Obama-related these days. The newly sworn in president may have a symbolic importance to the black community, but what about Obama's effect on other cultural groups? Last evening, UConn Political Science Professor, Venator Santiago spoke about Obama's impact on Latinos around the country, Latino involvement in the election and more at the Puerto Rican and Latin-American Cultural Center.

Santiago arrived at the center still reeling from his trip to Washington to witness the inauguration. He started off with a tidbit about attending one of the inaugural balls, where he got to see a lot of interesting people. "I hung out with J.Lo and her husband," he said, beaming. After that jovial anecdote, he addressed the matters that the listeners were anticipating.

The first noteworthy point was about the Latino vote across the nation in comparison to the last election.

"The Latino vote was still at about eight percent of the population. That means there was no change from the amount of people who voted last time." He continued to say the difference that Latinos made had to do with the proportions that voted differently. Certain demographics of the population were swayed to the Democratic ticket and proved to be instrumental in helping President Obama win certain states. The states that Santiago mentioned in particular were New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and even California.

The next point he addressed was the number of Latinos that were selected for Obama's cabinet and staff. Aside from Bill Richardson's withdrawal from consideration for secretary of commerce, Santiago stressed that Latinos still have a notable presence in Obama's team.

The appointment of Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as secretary of the interior and Hilda Solís as secretary of labor is definitely a point of pride for the Latino community.

"The problem arises in the Senate since these individuals have moved up out of the Senate," he said, meaning that the Latino presence in the Senate has dwindled.

The rest of the discussion was more of a casual talk about other Latino politicians, the state of Cuba and Puerto Rico's statehood. The modest but extremely interested crowd participated enthusiastically when it came to the many different facets of Latino culture and were definitely drawn to the professor's charismatic and informal speech. Some of Santiago's final remarks on Obama's future were interesting as well. "Expect a more tolerant and less corrupt administration that should keep the door open for more punitive positions. In other words, he will move away from the Bush administration but keep the door open for [some of the previous institution's] stricter policies."

Angie Logreno, a 4th-semester music major, had this to say on the evening: "He was very knowledgeable and insightful. It is very important to be aware of what our [Latino] politics are and keeping track of the government."

Note: The Daily Campus has had continuous daily publication for over 50 years and has recently celebrated its 110th anniversary. In the 1970s, the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees granted The Connecticut Daily Campus its independence from the Associated Student Government and created the newspaper it is today.

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Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Key Link: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com

Latino leaders urged to think big in their roles: Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_11541408

Latino leaders urged to think big in their roles

Minority population growing » They should be at the state's decision-making tables, official declares.

By Tom Harvey

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 01/23/2009 08:33:58 PM MST

Business leaders from left, Vanessa Di Palma, David Ibarra of e-LeaderTech Inc., and Don Salazar...

Prominent Utah Latinos were told Friday they should adopt a larger perspective in their roles as leaders of a growing minority population.

Latino leaders from business, government and community groups gathered in Salt Lake City for a summit that included speeches, panels and workshops on leadership principles.

Silvia Castro Thomas, director of the Utah Office of Hispanic-Latino Affairs, told the gathering that as the number of Latinos increases, leaders must expand their thinking about their roles.

"As the Hispanic population grows in the state, I think we need to not limit ourselves and think of ourselves only as Hispanic leaders," Castro Thomas told the summit, which had 150 people registered to attend. "We need to think of ourselves as community leaders. We need to be part of the general state makeup, to be at the tables where decisions are made at all levels."

Castro Thomas pointed to the expectation of change brought about by the election of President Barack Obama, due in part to the support of Latino voters.

"The question is, with all this change in the air, with all these new possibilities, are we taking advantage of this time?" she said. "Are we setting ourselves up to be part of the change? There's opportunity there."

She pointed out that minorities will make up 50 percent of the U.S. population by 2020.

"We are the future of this country," she said. "We are the future of this state."

The summit also heard from three successful officers in business: CTI Construction CEO Don Salazar, DPR Communications managing partner Vanessa Di Palma and e-LeaderTech Inc. CEO David Ibarra.

Speakers at the daylong event included M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Deborah Bayle, president and CEO of United Way of Salt Lake; LeeAnne Linderman, executive vice president at Zions Bank and chairwoman of the Utah Bankers Association; Joe Reyna, regional president of Zions Bank; and Sylvia Haro, senior vice president of Zions.

Zions Bank hosted the event at its downtown Salt Lake City headquarters.

tharvey@sltrib.com

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Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Key Link: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com

Flashback 1-19-2009: Immigration Tops Latinos’ Wish List at D.C. Meeting: NYTimes Politics Blog

http://thecaucus.blogs..nytimes.com/2009/01/19/immigration-tops-latinos-wish-list-at-dc-meeting/

January 19, 2009, 1:01 pm

Immigration Tops Latinos' Wish List at D.C. Meeting

By Fernanda Santos

A new president takes office on Tuesday. It is time to ask for favors, to settle debts accrued during the campaign season.

Latinos, who make up 9 percent of the national electorate, lent their support overwhelmingly to President-elect Barack Obama, voting for him at a rate of 2 to 1 over his Republican rival, Senator John McCain. The votes were roughly equivalent to Mr. Obama's margin of victory in the popular vote and in key swing states such as Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, which flipped from red to blue.

On Monday, a group of Latino advocates convened at a hotel on Capitol Hill to find out what it is that they should ask for first from the new administration — and, as expected, immigration reform figured at the top of the list.

Immigration remains a highly divisive political issue, particularly since concerns about terrorism amplified the debate about border security in recent years. In 2007, Congress failed to enact an immigration reform package because of fundamental disagreements between supporters of tougher enforcement to curb illegal entry into the country and advocates of amnesty for illegal immigrants.

John Trasviña, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which hosted the event, the second annual Latino State of the Union, a gathering of advocates, civil rights activists and lawmakers representing the interests of the Latino community, said: "We have to take immigration away from the border and present it as an issue of national interest defined by cooperation, rather than confrontation, with Mexico and Latin America."

It is, Mr. Trasviña said, a question of fostering acceptance of Latinos, who have been victimized by hate, in the hands of perpetrators who attack them because of their ethnicity, and overzealousness, in the hands of local police officers who have been deputized to act as immigration enforcers in communities nationwide.

He mentioned that Latinos have "friends in high places" in the Obama administration, like the Interior secretary designate, Ken Salazar; the Labor secretary designate, Hilda Solis; and the White House's director of intergovernmental affairs, Cecilia Muñoz, formerly a vice president of the National Council de la Raza.

In remarks read by Tina Tchen, who will be the White House director of public liaison, Mr. Obama said to Latinos, "You showed how powerful you are on Nov. 4" and that the appointments are "a measure of my commitment" of forming a government that reflects the nation's diversity.

But the question remains: Can they be expected to push the Latino agenda of immigration reform?

"What's important is not to whether they move the immigration agenda," said Rosa Rosales, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or Lulac. "It's also our responsibility, as leaders in our community, that they hear from us. We make the difference."

Simon Rosenberg, president and founder of the New Democratic Network, a progressive think tank, said that the Latino vote is now too important to be ignored and that might help speed things up in Congress, especially as congressional district lines will be redrawn after the 2010 Census. Certainly some Republican leaders are urging their party to figure out a way to regain Latino support that eroded during this presidential election.

"I anticipate a dramatic shift in power toward heavily Latino parts of the United States" following the redistricting, Mr. Rosenberg said. "Remember: in redistricting, we count people, not citizens."

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Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Key Link: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com