RECENT ARTICLES

Testimony from a Helpline Specialist

HACU to Host Live Forum on Hispanic Higher Education Issues

Miss Universe 2008 Joins the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Time for Latino Voters to Reach Their Potential

Reverse in Trends: Fewer Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.

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Testimony from a Helpline Specialist

I was born in Palmira, in the valley of Cauca, in Colombia. I have training in law and am an ethnographer and anthropologist with 20 years of experience in the area of human rights, research, and support for indigenous people, rural farmers, and tribal populations in Colombia and countries of the Amazonic basin.

I have worked providing help for victims of armed conflicts, coca and mining workers, and helping refugees or victims of forced displacement. With regard to the environment I have participated in different processes of territorial agreements and in the protection and preservation of natural resources.

As a forced migrant to the United States I continue to work on the issue of human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities. I participate in the Indigenous Caucus of the OAS and was involved in the UN’s Indigenous Group that developed the Universal Declaration of Indigenous People’s Rights. I collaborated with the Amazonic Alliance for indigenous peoples of the Amazon, and am a volunteer with the Columbia Human Rights Committee here in Washington, DC.

Today I seek to contribute to the mobilization and participation of the Hispanic family in different processes and issues to gain proper recognition. As Latin Americans in the United States we have rights and obligations that allow us to advance our ideas and contributions to this country which is a symbol of blending of races and ethnic groups.

Acceso Hispano has given me the opportunity to contribute and enrich myself through all of the testimonies that I hear through the Hotline, where people from every corner of our continent share their stories with us, contribute, and request information or help.

This country is my new residence, and as such it is a requirement to give back and work with regard to local issues– civil rights, migration, the environment– which in effect brought me to the Self Reliance Foundation in April of 2008. I am currently part of the Acceso Hispano team as an Information and Referral Specialist, one of the people who answers the Helpline to orient and help people from around the country.

One important thing that I have learned is that it is difficult to pigeonhole our cultural origins under the word “hispanic or latino”. In reality the “Latino or Hispanic” as we call ourselves or others call us is not clear, because despite the language that we share we are from varied cultures; for example we help indigenous people from Guatemala, Chiapas, Ecuador, Bolivia, Perú; descendants of Africans; Caribbeans, and even though we speak in Spanish our culture is markedly different.

At the Hotline we have to know the different cultures and respond to each person, according to their customs and their needs. The idea is to personalize our service. Our service goes beyond a simple reference– we support people who have difficulty communicating or who are timid when they need to access any kind of service in this country, or when language is a barrier for them.

HACU to Host Live Forum on Hispanic Higher Education Issues

The Hispanic Information & Telecommunications Network (HITN) along with the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) will broadcast a live forum on Hispanic higher education today at 5:30 p.m. (EST) featuring notable scholars and administrators.

Today’s forum is part of an on-going series hosted by HITN titled, “Destination Casa Blanca 2008: The Latino Voice in the Presidential Election.” The English-language program is expected to air in more than 30 million homes nationwide, network officials say.

Scholars such as Dr. Milton Gordon, president of California State University, Fullerton, Rosa Pérez, chancellor of San José/Evergreen Community College, and Dr. Antonio Flores, president and CEO of HACU, will examine both presidential candidates’ platforms regarding education issues that impact U.S. Hispanic students and highlight the strengths and flaws of the candidates’ agendas.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic minority group in the United States and are projected to be the largest school-age population by 2050.

Listed among the most pertinent issues to be discussed is the continued absence of Hispanic-serving institutions from federal legislation and regulations that authorize targeted funding for higher education, the severe underrepresentation of Hispanics in the federal labor force, and college affordability for undocumented students who completed high school and desire to attend college.

“As the fastest-growing segment of society in the United States, Hispanics are increasingly becoming the work force for tomorrow,” says Flores. “The better educated our work force, the better the United States can compete in the global economy.”

HACU, an organization representing approximately 450 colleges and universities, will submit to the presidential candidates its recommendations for increased funding for HSIs, the creation of targeted programs for HSI-enrolled students in science, technology, engineering and math fields and the advancement of DREAM Act legislation.

This series, launched in April, marks the first time in history that a national television program has focused solely on issues affecting the Hispanic community. Following an initial English-language debut, each show is rebroadcast in Spanish. Award-winning journalists Ray Suarez and Marlene Fernández will host today’s telecast. The series will be available on the Elections ’08 on Demand Channel.

“We have a unique opportunity to build a bridge between the candidates and the Hispanic communities through the usage of effective multimedia platforms,” says José Luís Rodriguez, CEO of HITN. “This forum is part of HITN and HACU’s mission to provide the right tools and education to help Latinos make the best decision during this presidential election.”

Source: Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Miss Universe 2008 Joins the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

NEW YORK, Oct 09, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza demonstrates her commitment to the fight against AIDS, by getting publicly tested for HIV at the 6th annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day 2008 kick-off event on October 9th at 4 p.m. at the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center located at 1680 Lexington Avenue, New York City, New York.

The impact of the epidemic continues to disproportionately affect the health and wellbeing of Latinos across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Latinos in the U.S. represent 15.3% (U.S. Census Bureau) of the population but account for 24.3% of the new HIV infections (CDC). In response to the state of emergency posed by this disease National Latino AIDS Awareness Day was created to raise the visibility of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Latino communities across the country. October 15th was designated as NLAAD, as it culminates the celebration of Hispanic Heritage month and represents a call to action for Latinos across the country to protect the ones you love by getting tested for HIV and accessing prevention services.

“As the epidemic continues to devastate Latino families across the country, it is important to promote that HIV testing should become a routine part of health screening and that we continue to advocate for increased access to culturally and linguistically competent medical care for those living with HIV/AIDS”, stated Dennis deLeon, President, Latino Commission on AIDS. “Any of us can emulate the great example set by Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, who today is serving as a role model for young Latina women by getting testing for HIV.”

“As Miss Universe 2008, I support knowing your HIV status and will continue working on increasing HIV/AIDS awareness by focusing on women’s health and reproductive rights. As a 22 year old woman, I am particularly invested in supporting young women and educating them about the growing threat of the AIDS epidemic,” stated Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza. “By getting tested I hope to encourage Latinos all over the country, to know their status. It is very important that people understand that HIV is preventable, let’s learn the facts and get involved.”

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Source: Latino Commission on AIDS

Time for Latino Voters to Reach Their Potential

By Gebe Martinez - La Prensa San Diego: Elections are a time of accountability, a time when the values of presidential candidates are judged by voters and when incumbents are forced to defend their records and rhetoric against ambitious challengers. This year, unlike any previous election year, an entire group of voters also will be held accountable: Latinos.

After years of being viewed as the “sleeping giant” — the group whose voter turnout never comes close to matching its voting-age population — the Hispanic vote is expected to be a force this year on Election Day.

Hispanic leadership coalitions, Spanish-language media, and the presidential candidates have spent tens of millions in an unprecedented grass-roots effort to mobilize the Latino vote in as many as 13 states, coast to coast and in the Midwest. In four of those states — Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida — the Latino vote is large enough to determine the outcome of the presidential contest on Nov. 4.

That is, if Latinos vote.

“If, in this election, we do not turn out and vote, then we are the dog that’s all bark and no bite,” warned Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. “If we don’t do it now, then my question is, ‘When are we going to do it?’”

The foundation has been laid for a record Latino voter turnout of 9.2 million, including 2.6 million Hispanics who will be voting for the first time. In the 2000 presidential election, 5.9 million Latinos voted, and in 2004, there were 7.6 million Latino votes cast.

Despite the rising numbers, this year’s Hispanic vote projection is not good enough, Vargas emphasized recently during a meeting with Latino political activists. “That is an embarrassment, because there are 17 million Latinos who today could vote because they are U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age,” the Latino leader said. “Our challenge is to reach the native-born Latino — the Chicano, the Puerto Rican — those of us born here, who do take the right to vote for granted.”

In 2004, Hispanic turnout was only 47 percent, compared with 60 percent for African-Americans and 67 percent for non-Hispanic whites.

Why haven’t Latinos voted more often? Hispanic leaders maintain that one of the biggest blocks to Latino voting is the misinformation given by election officials and poll workers. Organizers are combating that problem by urging Latinos to vote absentee or to call a toll-free telephone bank to get instructions and learn their voting rights.

Like other voters, Hispanics are worried about the economy, jobs, health care, education and the Iraq war. Unlike other voters, they are disproportionately affected on all of these fronts. They have not forgotten that the first U.S. soldier killed in the Iraq war was an immigrant who had illegally entered the country as a child. There also is an underlying current of fear shared by Hispanics, regardless of citizenship status, because of the anti-immigrant sentiment that has spread across the country in recent years, according to polls. Like other voters, they want a sensible solution.

The presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, are begging for Latino support. They have saturated the Spanish-language media with advertising and dispatched volunteers to cultural festivals and citizenship ceremonies from California to Florida to enlist voters.

“If you have any doubt about whether you can make a difference, just remember how, back in 2004, 40,000 registered Latino voters in New Mexico didn’t turn out on Election Day. Sen. [John F.] Kerry lost that state by fewer than 6,000 votes,” Obama often reminds Latino audiences.

The Obama campaign pledged to spend $20 million to court the Hispanic vote. The McCain campaign will not say how much it is spending but argues Obama needs to spend more because he is not as well-known as McCain in the Latino community, according to McCain spokeswoman Hessy Fernandez.

McCain won 70 percent of Arizona’s Latino vote during his last Senate reelection effort, but in his presidential campaign, he has been severely criticized by Latino leaders for backing away from his own immigration bill that would have offered undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. Whether McCain can garner the same level of Latino support in his home state is unknown, Fernandez conceded, but “John McCain is going to work for it” there and everywhere else.

Besides the presidential race, the Latino vote could affect other major contests, such as Senate races in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia.

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Source: Politico

Reverse in Trends: Fewer Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.

There were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, according to new Pew Hispanic Center estimates. The size of the unauthorized population appears to have declined since 2007, but this finding is inconclusive because of the margin of error in these estimates.

However, it is clear from the estimates that the unauthorized immigrant population grew more slowly in the period from 2005 to 2008 than it did earlier in the decade.

It also is clear that from 2005 to 2008, the inflow of immigrants who are undocumented fell below that of immigrants who are legal permanent residents. That reverses a trend that began a decade ago. The turnaround appears to have occurred in 2007.

The Pew Hispanic Center also estimates that inflows of unauthorized immigrants averaged 800,000 a year from 2000 to 2004, but fell to 500,000 a year from 2005 to 2008 with a decreasing year-to-year trend. By contrast, the inflow of legal permanent residents has been relatively steady this decade.

Although the growth of the unauthorized population has slackened, its size has increased by more than 40% since 2000, when it was 8.4 million. In 2005, the Pew Hispanic Center estimated there were 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The most recent estimate, 11.9 million, indicates that unauthorized immigrants make up 4% of the U.S. population.

These estimates are based mainly on data from the 2000 Census and the March Current Population Surveys for the years since then. Because the Census Bureau does not ask people their immigration status, these estimates are derived using a widely accepted methodology that essentially subtracts the estimated legal-immigrant population from the total foreign-born population. The residual is treated as a source of data on the unauthorized immigrant population.

The estimates are not designed to explain why the net growth rate has declined. There could be a number of possible causes, including a slowdown in U.S. economic growth that has had a disproportionate impact on foreign-born Latino workers, at the same time that economic growth in Mexico and other Latin American countries has been stable. Another factor could be a heightened focus on enforcement of immigration laws, which a recent Pew Hispanic Center survey indicates has generated worry among many Hispanics.

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