Opinion makers share thoughts on future role of Latinos

Posted by Elena del Valle on February 20, 2009

Latinos and the Nation's Future

Latinos and the Nation’s Future book cover

Photos: Arte Publico Press

In Latinos and the Nation’s Future (Arte Publico Press, $29.95) 15 individuals, 11 men and four women, share their thoughts about Latinos in the United States. Each writer contributed one chapter, except Nicolas Kanellos, Ph.D. who contributed two chapters. The 248-page hardcover book was edited by Henry G. Cisneros, chairman of American CityVista, and John Rosales, co-editor of Casa y Comunidad: Latino Home and Neighborhood Design (Builder Books). Cisneros also contributed the first chapter, An Overview: Latinos and the Nation’s Future.

The book is divided into four parts: Latino Visions: Past, Present and Future; Latinos and the Larger Society; Raw Numbers and Their Impact; and Final Thoughts. In addition to Cisnero’s overview the first section includes three chapters: The Latino Presence: Some Historical Background by Nicolas Kanellos, Ph.D., founder and publisher, Arte Publico Press; Liberty and Justice for All: Civil Rights in the Years Ahead by Raul Izaguirre, executive director, Center for Community Development and Civil Rights at Arizona State University; and Becoming American – The Latino Way by Tamar Jacoby, president and chief executive officer, Immigrationworks USA.

The second section is divided into six chapters: Increasing Hispanic Mobility into the Middle Class: An Overview by Harry P. Pachon, Ph.D., professor of public policy, University of Southern California; Latino Small Business: A Big Present, A Bigger Future by Aida M. Alvarez, board member of Wal-Mart and Union BanCal Corp/Union Bank of California; Making the Next Generation Our Greatest Resource by Sarita E. Brown, president, Excelencia in Education; La Gran Oportunidad Up for Grabs The Hispanic Opportunity by Joe Garcia, a former Democratic candidate for Congress in South Florida; Politics and the Latino Future: A Republican Dream by Lionel Sosa, an advertising executive; and Latino Progress and U.S. Foreign Policy by Sergio Muñoz Bata, a journalist.

Part three of the book includes four chapters: The Raw Numbers: Population Projections and the Power of Hispanic Demographic Change by Leobardo F. Estrada, Ph.D., associate professor, UCLA School of Public Affairs; Latino Numbers and Social Trends: Implications for the Future by Roberto Suro, professor of journalism, University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication; A First-Order Need: Improving the Health of the Nation’s Latinos by Elena V. Rios, M.D., M.S.P.H., president and chief executive officer, National Hispanic Medical Association; and Housing the Nation’s Latinos: An Overview by Saul N. Ramirez, Jr., executive director, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

The final section only has two chapters: On the Power of Education and Community Action by Ernesto Cortes, Southwest regional director, Industrial Areas Foundation; and Toward the New American Dream by Kanellos.

Henry G. Cisneros

Cisneros is a former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and former mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Previously, he was president and chief operating officer, Univision Communications in Los Angeles, California. He has a doctorate degree in public administration from George Washington University.