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“This is a missed opportunity to work with a key organization that is connected to Latino voters from across the country,” NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía told VOXXI Monday. “But even if he wasn’t going to come here, we would’ve really welcomed putting forth his positions on some of these issues [important to Latinos] and clarifying his positions.”

The 2012 NCLR Annual Conference in Las Vegas attracted 5,000 Latino leaders, community activists and elected officials. The event began July 7 and wraps up July 10, with a speech from Vice President Joe Biden on the behalf of President Barack Obama, who will not be attending the conference. Obama has attended the conference twice in the past – once in 2008 when he was running for president and again 2011. READ MORE

Despite the growth in their population, Latinos are underrepresented in important posts in the Chicago, Cook County and Illinois governments, according to an analysis published Monday by the Chicago Sun-Times.

"We're extremely disappointed," Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Chicago-based Latino Policy Forum, told the newspaper.

The analysis found that of the 30 top officials named by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in his first 14 months in office, just three were Hispanics and five were African Americans.

Municipal departments headed by white appointees manage nearly 80 percent of the city's 2012 operating budget of more than $3 billion, the Sun-Times said. READ MORE

The Partnership at Drugfree.org Launches New Spanish-Language Tools for Parents as Substance Abuse Among Latino Youth Remains Higher Than Other Ethnic Groups~

The Partnership at Drugfree.org today announced the launch of new tools for Hispanic parents and families, accessible at "HablaConTusHijos," a free, bilingual (Spanish/English) online resource to help Hispanic parents who are struggling to address drug and alcohol abuse by their children. Recognizing the urgent need within the Latino community for these kinds of comprehensive tools, The Partnership at Drugfree.org created "HablaConTusHijos" to provide effective, yet easy-to-use, resources equipping Hispanic parents and grandparents to take action in preventing teen substance abuse. This new web resource was made possible with major support from MetLife Foundation.

Grounded in research, the new "HablaConTusHijos" provides science-based guidance to parents and caregivers, helping them prevent their child from using drugs or alcohol and take effective action if a child is using drugs or drinking. Clear, understandable content is brought to life with customized checklists, how-to guides and powerful videos featuring Hispanic parents and experts discussing various aspects of substance abuse and addiction for those who are at different stages in raising their children.

The website features practical advice from experts and other parents, including the "Six Components of Effective Parenting," (Seis Practicas De Crianza) a tool developed as part of the Parents Translational Research Center - a joint venture of The Partnership at Drugfree.org and the Treatment Research Institute, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. READ MORE

Multipronged Campaign to Promote America's National Parks Among Latino Audiences Beginning at the National Council of La Raza's Annual Conference in Las Vegas

Today, the National Park Foundation's (NPF) American Latino Heritage Fund (ALHF) announced a series of prominent efforts to improve the representation of Latino heritage in, visitors to, and long-term stewardship of America's national parks. Beginning this week, ALHF will kick-off a series of aggressive social media efforts, education grants and collaborations with civic groups representing Latino communities including the National Council of La Raza Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

While the Latino community accounts for approximately 54% of the American population, Latinos represent less than 13% of national park visitors. Together, the American Latino Heritage Fund along with the National Park Service are working to preserve and celebrate the cultural, economic and civic contributions of Latinos to the American story as told through the national parks system.

"The mission of NPF's American Latino Heritage Fund is focused on telling a more inclusive story of the American experience," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "Only by reflecting the true diversity of American history will we succeed in fostering future generations' visitation to our country's natural, cultural and historic treasures." READ MORE

As we talk about Latino or Hispanic politics in this election year, most automatically draw a link between this particular racial-ethnic identification and a liberal political orientation. A Latino social policy agenda is generally assumed to reside within a liberal New Deal framework. Latinos in general may be socially conservative on a number of issues, but the majority support an activist government, are willing to pay more taxes for increased services, and support government expansion of the social safety net and affirmative action programs. The fact that President Obama has, according to the polls, the support of roughly two-thirds of Latino voters, reflects a real political connection, not just superior campaigning.

The 2003 fight over the very conservative Miguel Estrada's confirmation as a federal appeals court judge was controversial because it gave rise to the question: Who is a Latino or Hispanic?

Representing what was then the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF) -- now named LatinoJustice PRLDEF -- I was caught in the middle of the controversy, summed up by Byron York in his February 6, 2003 National Review Online article, "Dems to Miguel Estrada: You're Not Hispanic Enough": READ MORE

This week, the National Council of La Raza is hosting its annual conference in Las Vegas. The group is the biggest kid on the Hispanic block. Starting with George H.W. Bush, every Democrat and Republican president and nominee has addressed the conference. This year, neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney is doing so.

This is surprising in a year when plenty has been said about the importance of the Latino vote. Romney needs to do better than John McCain did in 2008. Obama needs to recapture Latino lightning in a bottle. He needs a wide margin of victory among Latinos and a high voter turnout.

Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak at this week's conference. The National Council of La Raza won't get the top dog. It will get the attack dog. You can send a No. 2 to burials and weddings of foreign leaders and to conferences you don't want to attend.

It's hard to express disappointment about merely getting the U.S. vice president to show up. Romney doesn't have a running mate. His campaign sent former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez as a surrogate. The National Council of La Raza said the agenda was full and didn't give him a speaking slot. READ MORE

A new study indicates that teen pregnancy has dropped significantly for Latinas living in the U.S., a group of young women who have had the highest rates of pregnancy in the past decade. Some experts say increased access to contraception and healthcare may have played a role in the shift.

The study, conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and released last week, showed that teen pregnancy rates are down more than 30-percent in the Latino community. Young Latinas in their twenties are postponing pregnancy longer than they had in years past, the study says. In addition, the study concludes that the number of women having children in their late thirties and early forties has increased by 65 percent in just two decades.

CNN reported in 2009 that 53 percent of Latinas got pregnant in their teens -- about twice the national average. And in 2007, CDC studies indicated that the birth rate among non-Hispanic whites ages 15 to 19 was 27.2 per 1,000, but 81.7 per 1,000 for Latinas in the same age group. But now, teen pregnancy rates have hit their lowest point since 1976, according to the latest study from the agency. READ MORE

David Castillo has seen the city change over the past decade. As president of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, what census data shows in numbers, Castillo sees on the streets of the city and the businesses flourishing there.

“The growth is continuing and will continue for a long time,” Castillo said.

Along SW 29 and other main thoroughfares on the city's south side, mom-and-pop Hispanic businesses are thriving — restaurants, automotive repair shops, markets and barbershops. Castillo said that in 2008 there were 150 members of the chamber. Today, there are nearly 400.

Why OKC is attractive

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the Hispanic community in Oklahoma City grew 95 percent between 2000 and 2010 to just more than 110,000. The Hispanic population in Edmond boomed by 120 percent from about 1,900 in 2000 to over 4,100 in 2010. To the south, Moore's Hispanic population grew 134 percent over the same time period to 4,900. Norman's 10-year growth rate was 90 percent to about 7,100. READ MORE

Hispanic and Latino unemployment remained essentially unchanged at 11.0 percent, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday. It remains at sky-high May levels, which further complicates things for President Barack Obama heading into November.

That's down from 11.6 percent last June, but the rate has gone steadily up for much of the calendar year at a seasonally adjusted rate.

Despite the popularity of Obama's shift in immigration policy, most Latino voters place it well behind the economy in terms of issue importance to them heading into the November election between Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

A recent Gallup poll put unemployment second on the Hispanic voters' issue list. Overall, health care, unemployment, economic growth and "the gap between the rich and poor" are higher priorities to the majority of Latino voters than immigration. READ MORE

They once were hawked on street corners, displayed like the finest artwork with their images of Aztec warriors, Virgin Marys, lions, pandas and unicorns.

Laura Genao saw them growing up but never pictured herself owning one.

"Too tacky," she thought.

Years later, her mother slyly left one on her couch: a blanket with a giant tiger woven in shades of gray, black and white.

It was then Genao learned what most Latinos in Los Angeles come to understand as children: Love it or hate it, chances are you're going to forge a bond with a San Marcos.

The thick, plush Mexican blankets with designs of everything under the sun, including the San Francisco 49ers logo, Strawberry Shortcake, peacocks and geishas, have kept Latinos warm for nearly 40 years.

They're so popular they double as bedspreads, sofa slipcovers, car seat covers, wall art, curtains, rugs and even ponchos. They're a gift often given for Christmas, birthdays and baby showers. When a grown child is ready to leave home, a San Marcos usually goes along. READ MORE

Snacking is about to get a bit more picante. Convenience retail giant 7-Eleven Inc. added Mini Tacos to its vast inventory of items to munch on to appeal to the growing Latino population and the grazers who snack all day.

More than 500 of the chain’s Southland stores will feature the diminutive snacks, selling four for $1, which add to the growing trend of Latin-inspired foods, said Margaret Chabris, director of corporate communications for 7-Eleven.

“We’ve been in the fresh and hot food business for several years, and we’ve learned that there is a trend towards snacking, up to six to eight times a day,” Chabris said.

Nearly half of the population snacks at least twice a day, according to a report by Food Technology magazine, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Ethnic street-food-inspired appetizers, such as tacos, topped the magazine’s list of trendy appetizers in 2012.

The new menu item consists of petite corn tortillas filled with a shredded beef filling, green chilies, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, spices and other flavorings heated in rapid-cook ovens at the stores. Other varieties are in the works. READ MORE

Pizza Patron Inc., a Dallas-based pizza chain largely geared toward the Hispanic market, has given the green light to a group of investors who want to open 10 new locations in the Rio Grande Valley.

Pete Donbavand, a partner with Valley PP Partners LLC, said the plan is for two new stores in Brownsville, one in San Benito and the rest elsewhere in the Valley. Harlingen probably won't get a new store, due to the company's two-mile "radius requirement" mandating at least two miles between locations, he said. That's unless the partnership can acquire Harlingen's existing Pizza Patron or get a waiver on the two-mile rule, which Donbavand admits "might be a stretch."

The Harlingen store, two in Brownsville and two Pizza Patrons in Edinburg and McAllen are not Valley PP Partners franchises, though Valley PP Partners now has exclusive rights to the Valley region from Brownsville to Del Rio, excluding Laredo.

"Nobody else can come into the market or open additional stores besides us," Donbavand said.

He described Pizza Patron as "a good concept" based on a very affordable product. READ MORE

McDonald's announced today the latest extension to its national Hispanic education program with the launch of Latinos Rumbo al College, a free webinar series developed in conjunction with non-profit organization Latinos in College (LIC) and LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC). The new webinar series was created to make the college process simple and attainable for both Hispanic students and their parents by leveraging LIC's expertise in developing interactive content that will be delivered in a culturally sensitive way through a trusted community partner and premier educational service organization, LNESC. The first of the bilingual webinars, titled "On the Track to College," was broadcasted live today from the LULAC National Convention in Orlando, Fla., in front of an audience of students, parents, educators and community stakeholders.

"As a long-standing partner of Hispanic education, McDonald's understands that some of the main barriers preventing Hispanic students from obtaining a college degree are misconceptions about financing a college education and unfamiliarity with the college application process," said Cristina Vilella, U.S. marketing director for McDonald's USA. "Through the new Latinos Rumbo al College webinar series we will reach thousands of Hispanic students and parents with an interactive resource, in English and Spanish, to help them navigate their way to college."

Today's webinar featured 2009 RMHC/HACER National Scholarship recipient Luis Duran, the son of Salvadoran immigrants who just finished his junior year at Arizona State University where he is studying to become an architect. Luis talked about his experience attending college despite financial difficulty and lack of familiarity with the college application process. The webinar also offered practical tips for parents and students to get on the track to college – including the importance of building a support network of other college-bound students.

"College starts as an almost unreachable dream for many Latino students," said webinar host and designer Mariela Dabbah, who founded Latinos in College to help students find the resources, tools and connections they need to successfully graduate. "There's nothing wrong with dreaming. But if you want to make it to college, you need to connect your dreams with actions. You need to find the right people and resources to support that dream so it becomes a reality." READ MORE

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AMERICAN voters are getting an earful these days about how decisive the Latino vote will be in the presidential election. Let's remember the high stakes for communities of color in state and local elections. Local leaders make most of the crucial decisions that affect our daily lives.

Washington state is doing a dismal job of electing Latinos that represent their rapidly growing populations in many parts of our state. We can, and should, enact state voting reforms to change that.

At Whitman College, students conducted intensive studies of Latino political representation through our community-based research program on "The State of the State for Washington Latinos" (www.walatinos.org). From out in the wheat fields and vineyards of Eastern Washington, their findings paint a devastating picture of racial and ethnic inequality.

Whitman researchers examined political representation in local government in the 10 counties where Latinos make up the highest percentages of county population: Skagit, Yakima, Walla Walla, Chelan, Grant, Adams, Okanogan, Franklin, Benton and Douglas counties.

In 2009, Latinos occupied barely 4 percent of local offices in a region where they accounted for nearly 33 percent of the population. Even worse, in the great majority of local offices there were no Latinos serving at all — no Latino hospital commissioners, fire commissioners or port commissioners. Not one Latino was serving in countywide office. READ MORE

Both political parties agree that the country's 21.3 million registered Latino voters could make a crucial difference in this year's presidential election.

Yet in a race defined by massive spending on television ads, fast-response Internet videos and sophisticated social media efforts, both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney have fallen short thus far when it comes to targeting Latino voters electronically, according to some Spanish-language media experts.

Republican candidate Romney trails Obama badly among Latinos, according to polls released last week, and isn't counting on them to propel him to victory. Even so, his Spanish-language advertising has been minimal and clumsy, the experts said. Some of his ads are simply translated versions of his English-language commercials — a particular no-no when trying to reach Latino consumers.

Obama has spent more heavily, and created more effective ads than his rival, but some experts said that so far he has failed to craft a campaign that keeps pace with the rapidly increasing size and sophistication of the Latino population, which climbed to 50.5 million in the 2010 census, from 35.3 million a decade earlier. READ MORE

The latest census numbers tell a surprising story of how the racial makeup of Chicago’s suburbs has changed over the past 20 years. In many places, Latinos now outnumber whites. West suburban Elgin is one of those places. But as the population in Elgin has taken off, Latino representation at all levels of local government has not kept up.

“Just look at this stuff, the ethnicities represented here,” said Gil Feliciano, standing in the lobby of Elgin’s Gail Borden Library. On a summer afternoon, the lobby is filled with children of all backgrounds: white, black, Hispanic, Asian. It’s common to see them dragging their parents across the main floor to the children’s room in the back.

Feliciano was born and raised here in Elgin. His parents came from Puerto Rico. Feliciano was also Elgin’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator for ten years. He was the glue that connected Elgin’s Latinos with city functions.

“A gentleman one time came to see me,” recounted Feliciano. “When I approached him at the counter, he throws down two photographs, both of his porch. One where his porch is a disaster, and one where his porch looks gorgeous.” The renovation had been the man’s own handiwork, Feliciano said. “I go, ‘Well, that’s wonderful work.’ And he goes, ‘Well, not according to you guys.’” READ MORE

It's been a few years since the big collapse and slowly the economy is starting to recover. Now that a few more companies are hiring and banks are lending again, it's a perfect time to play the blame game. Every week it seems as though there's a new study pointing the finger at someone else for the collapsed housing market.

This one's interesting. According to the Center for American Progress, Latinos are bearing the brunt of mortgage foreclosures. Nearly 12 percent compared to 9.8 for African Americans and 5 percent for whites.

That is troubling. So who's to blame? The greedy money-grubbing banks of course.

According to the report, Latinos and other people of color were, "disproportionately targeted for risky subprime loans and were victims of predatory lending practices."

And while that may be true, you could argue that the banks would have been just as "discriminating" had they denied risky mortgages for the same people altogether.

We may never know who's truly to blame for the recession, or if anyone is to blame at all. But one thing's for sure: when the economy goes south, everyone feels it, and when it comes to the banks, there's no way around it. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. READ MORE

If the importance of the Latino vote in this year's presidential election weren't already clear, two major events last week made sure to drive that point home: first, President Obama announced that he would defer deportations for some, younger undocumented immigrants; then, just days later, both the President and Mitt Romney made sure to show up to address the largest gathering of Latinos in the country: the 29th Annual NALEO conference in Florida.

NALEO stands for the National Association of Latino Elected and appointed Officials, so both Governor Romney and President Obama didn't miss the chance to be in a room of very influential Latinos and try to rally voters to their side.

The President's immigration announcement last week left Mr. Romney--who has touted self-deportation for illegal immigrants, and said in Republican debates that Arizona's harsh immigration enforcement law, SB 1070, should be a model for the nation--with some ground to make up with Latino Americans. Hispanics wanted to hear from Romney about, among other things, whether he would leave Mr. Obama's new policy in place, or if he would rescind it once he were in office. (Romney did address the subject, but with very few details, and no straight answer on the question). From President Obama, they wanted to hear if he would continue to support that issue, and others important to the Latino community. I was in the room during the President's speech, and I could see that he enjoyed more support from the attendees than his opponent. READ MORE

Hennessey ranks among the top 10 hot spots of Hispanic population growth in Oklahoma, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by Oklahoma Watch.

Among all Oklahoma cities and towns with more than 1,000 residents, Hennessey had the ninth-highest Hispanic population in percentage terms.

The 2010 population survey determined that 28 percent of Hennessey’s 2,131 residents were Hispanics. The 599 Hispanics counted by Census workers included a combination of U.S. citizens, legal residents and undocumented immigrants.

The No. 1 hot spot ranking went to Guymon, where Hispanics accounted for 52 percent of the city’s 11,442 residents. Watonga was No. 2, at 47 percent.

Other top 10 Hispanic communities were Heavener, 41 percent; Oakland, 40 percent; Hooker, 34 percent; Madill, 33 percent, Hollis, 32 percent, Boise City, 28 percent, and Clinton, 28 percent.

Those figures far exceed the statewide average of 9 percent. Hispanics accounted for 332,007 of Oklahoma’s 3.8 million residents in 2010. Nationwide, Hispanics made up 16 percent of the U.S. population.

Former U.S. Census Bureau Director Steve Murdock said the migration of immigrants to rural areas such as Kingfisher County is playing an increasingly important role in population growth across the country. READ MORE