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Amongst many of the issues discussed Saturday during the White House Hispanic Action Summit were the power of the Hispanic vote and the lack of Latino turnout during elections.

One of the roundtable discussions featured representatives from across the state of Ohio, including Cleveland, Lorain, Cincinnati and Toledo. Facilitated by the city of Lorain’s president of council, Joel Arredondo, the voter roundtable discussed how to reach out to young voters, discussed why Latinos do not vote, and searched for solutions to low voter turnout.

Arredondo repeated a statement he made in a morning session “Hispanics need to get involved, get educated and vote.”

Members of the League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC) from Cincinnati voiced concerns that some Latinos are afraid to express themselves politically, Angie Valencia, a LULAC member sited fear as a main reason for lack of voter turnout. Those from Toledo stated the Latino population is so small; some question whether their votes really make a difference. That argument may be hard to counter considering recent Pew Hispanic Research statistics which show there are about 140 thousand eligible Hispanic voters in Ohio, which makes up 2 percent of Ohio’s eligible voters. READ MORE

The number of new marriages between spouses of a different race or ethnicity increased to 15.1 percent in 2010, and the share of all current marriages that are either interracial or interethnic has reached an all-time high of 8.4 percent, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Social & Demographic Trends project.

Of the 275,500 new interracial or interethnic marriages in 2010, 43 percent are white/Latino couples, the most common type of intermarriage couple.

According to the report, intermarriage rates are highest among Latinos and Asians. In 2010, more than a quarter (26 percent) of Latino newlyweds, and 28 percent of Asian newlyweds, married someone of a different race or ethnicity, or “married out.” By contrast, about one-in-six (17 percent) newlywed black non-Latinos married non-blacks, and less than one-in-ten white non-Latinos (9 percent) married someone who is not white, the lowest among all groups.

Whites are by far the largest racial group in the United States, meaning that marriages between whites and people of color are the most common types of intermarriage. READ MORE

Not as well-known and certainly not as big as A-B InBev and Monsanto, Gonzalez Cos. is tucked between the two other businesses on a list of top sponsors of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Sure, says company founder Anthony Gonzalez-Angel, the $10,000 a year his construction management firm pays to be a member helps promote his business. But he could do that with a lesser level of giving, or in different ways.

Gonzalez-Angel says he wants the chamber to have the tools it needs to continue its transition from more of a social entity to an agency that helps build and promote Hispanic businesses — and one that works to bridge the gap between small companies and large corporations.

"Economic empowerment leads to social empowerment," Gonzalez-Angel said.

The chamber, around for three decades, has in the last few years raised its profile significantly. It has seen a surge in membership, made plans to buy its rented office space, scheduled a large-scale job fair for next month and has launched its first Latino Leadership Institute, supported by the chamber's largest sponsor, Centene Corp.

Increasingly, larger and larger corporations are plunking down $5,000 to $25,000 to be bronze, silver, diamond and platinum-level members of the chamber.

But Karlos Ramirez, executive director of the Hispanic Chamber, said the organization is not forsaking the small storefront businesses that pay $150 a year to join.

"The majority of our members remain small businesses," said Ramirez, who last worked as director of the university center and conference services at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

Partly in response to those smaller members, the growing chamber also is putting together its first restaurant guide, helping answer a common question: "Where do I go for good Mexican food?" READ MORE

A group of young Hispanics protested the visit of Republican president hopeful Mitt Romney to Arizona because of his stance on immigration reform and the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a path to legalization for undocumented students.

“We’re here because we’re not going to let Romney attack the immigrant youth. We’re very bothered and disappointed by his promise to veto the DREAM Act if it gets to the White House,” Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona Coalition for the DREAM Act, told Efe.

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/latino-students-protesting-romney-in-arizona-for-anti-dream-act-stance/13963/

Do you or others you know prefer to do business in Spanish? Find out how you can do business with Social Security using SSA’s Spanish online services.  Watch their webinar, “¡Servicios del Seguro Social por Internet en Espanol!” to learn about Social Security’s Spanish applications and ask questions during a live interactive broadcast. And if you don’t use a computer, have a loved one watch the webinar to help you get started.

Watch the interactive broadcast on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 2:00 p.pm. EST.  http://go.usa.gov/nnU

¿Prefiere usted u otras personas que conoce, tramitar sus asuntos con el Seguro Social en español? Infórmese mejor sobre cómo puede tramitar sus asuntos con el Seguro Social usando los servicios por Internet disponibles en español. Vea su Webinario titulado, «¡Servicios del Seguro Social por Internet en Español!» e infórmese mejor acerca de las solicitudes que el Seguro Social tiene disponible en español y haga preguntas durante la trasmisión interactiva en vivo.  Si no tiene acceso a una computadora, pídale a un ser querido que vea el Webinario para que le ayude a comenzar.

Vea la transmisión interactiva por Internet el jueves, 23 de febrero del 2012 a las 2:00 pm. (hora del este de los Estados Unidos). http://go.usa.gov/nmJ

Chocolate, cards, and candy. These are some things we at Latina.com will be indulging in on Valentine’s Day. In the sentiment of this day, we spoke with five Latina celebrities about their plans. Whether they are spending some quality time watching movies on the couch or spending a romantic evening with someone special, these celebs candidly shared what they will be doing on Valentine’s Day! Check out what they had to say. READ MORE

For the eighth consecutive year, the National Association of Female Executives has named Verizon Communications to the organization's NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women. The list recognizes organizations that are committed to hiring, retaining and promoting executive women. At the 2012 NAFE Top Companies, women executives run 23 percent of operations that generate more than $1 billion in revenue.

The Top 50 list is being published in the February/March issue of Working Mother magazine.

"With a solid leadership training curriculum, development courses, mentoring circles, executive coaching and a wealth of external initiatives, Verizon Communications has its bases covered when it comes to programs that encourage the advancement of women," said Dr. Betty Spence, NAFE president.

Magda Yrizarry, Verizon's chief talent and diversity officer, said, "Verizon works hard to foster a diverse and inclusive corporate culture that maximizes the talents of employees from all backgrounds. As women continue to ascend in business, it is essential that we utilize their skills to continue providing the innovative products and services our customers expect from our company."

Women comprise approximately 40 percent of Verizon's global workforce and hold more than 30 percent of leadership positions, including key roles in finance, government relations, IT, network services, sales, marketing, human resources and the Verizon Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm. Women also comprise 25 percent of Verizon's Board of Directors.

The 2012 NAFE Top Companies' application included more than 250 questions on topics including female representation, hiring, attrition and promotion rates, access, and usage of key retention and advancement programs. The application draws particular attention to the number of women at the highest ranks and those with profit-and-loss responsibility. To be considered, companies must have a minimum of two women on their board of directors as well as at least 500 employees in the U.S. READ MORE

It’s becoming difficult to keep track of how many media companies have made the same announcement lately: We’re launching a website/television network/social media campaign for a Latino audience, but in English.

Just in the last year-plus we’ve seen the launch of English-language digital ventures like Fox News Latino and HuffPost Latino Voices. A partnership between the latter and AOL has been involved in launching Spanish-English hyperlocal Patch Latino sites.

This week brought reports that Univision and Disney were working together to produce a 24-hour news channel for Latinos in English. It also brought the launch of Voxxi, a English-language website for “acculturated Latinos” headed by an editor from Spain’s EFE news agency. It’s one of a host of English-language sites, some more professional than others, that have launched in the past couple of years with the goal of reaching, well, acculturated Latinos.

There are other ventures in the works, most with an emphasis on digital content. What gives, and why now? Giovanni Rodriguez is a social-technology and marketing expert with Deloitte Consulting who studies and writes about the Latino media market. In a short piece last week for Forbes, he wrote about how media companies are “beginning to gain a finer grasp of the Latino population,” including their language and engagement preferences. Here, he provides details. READ MORE

Hispanics will account for three-quarters of the growth in the nation’s labor force from 2010 to 2020, according to new projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). One major reason is that the Hispanic population is growing rapidly due to births and immigration. At the same time, the aging of the non-Hispanic white population is expected to reduce their numbers in the labor force.

A second important factor is that Hispanics have a higher labor force participation rate than other groups. The nation’s labor force participation rate—that is, the share of the population ages 16 and older either employed or looking for work—was 64.7% in 2010. Among Hispanics, the rate was 67.5%. There are two main explanations for this gap: Hispanics are a younger population than other groups, and include a higher share of immigrants.

The figures for Hispanics come from the latest round of BLS projections for the U.S. labor force, covering 2010-2020, which indicate that growth will slow overall. These projections show that the labor force will increase by 10.5 million in this decade, growing to 164.4 million in 2020 from 153.9 million in 2010. That is less than the increase of 11.3 million from 2000 to 2010, and substantially less than the 16.7 million increase from 1990 to 2000. The projected average annual increase in the labor force from 2010 to 2020—0.7%—is also less than the annual growth of 0.8% from 2000 to 2010 and only about half the 1.3% annual rate of growth from 1990 to 2000. READ MORE

Latinos will turnout in record numbers in the next Presidential election, with at least 12.2 million casting ballots, according to projections released today by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund. This analysis also reveals that Latinos will account for a significant share of the electorate in several states.

According to NALEO Executive Director Arturo Vargas, “Latinos continue to reshape the nation’s political map, and the Latino electorate will play a decisive role in Election 2012.” The NALEO Educational Fund projects that the Latino vote will increase 26% from 2008, and Latinos will account for at least 8.7% of the country’s voters.

California, Florida and Illinois are likely to see the greatest percentage increase in turnout since 2008. In three states – California, New Mexico, and Texas – at least one in five voters will be Latino, with the Latino share of the electorate in New Mexico reaching 35%.

Mr. Vargas continued, “While the Latino vote continues to increase with each Presidential election, much work needs to be done to fully engage Latinos in our country’s electoral process. In 2008, 19.5 million Latinos were eligible to vote, but half did not cast ballots, because they were not registered or did not turn out. The Latino electorate must make faster progress if America’s democracy is to thrive.” READ MORE

A stroke could mean permanent paralysis, or in some cases, even death.

Despite that fact, researchers at the University of California San Diego say Latinos are risking their lives more than others by not calling for help. It could be the difference between a full recovery and something more devastating. According to researchers at UCSD, Latinos are less likely to call 911 at the first sign of a stroke.

Slurring speech, not being able to talk, not being able to find the right words garbled speech and loss of vision are just some the symptoms which happen during a stroke, when the brain muscles begin to die.

Dr. Jeffrey Cavendish with Kaiser Permanente said you should call as soon as you start to feel weak. "So as soon as the blood flow can be reestablished to the brain the less impact the stroke is gonna be," said Cavendish. Unfortunately it's something researchers say Latinos are jeopardizing by not seeking immediate medical attention.

Cavendish said for some men it could be machismo, but for many others, it's the cost of care. READ MORE

After scraping by on handyman jobs for a year, Bert Qintana figured he'd have to leave his wife and teenage son at their home near Taos, N.M., and find work elsewhere.

Then Qintana got a call last month from Chevron Mining, which runs a mine 20 miles away. Would he be interested in hauling muck from the molybdenum mine for $17.05 an hour? He leaped at the offer.

"Thank God," said Qintana, 45, a Latino who had worked as a general contractor. "I was able to hang in there and not have to move." About a dozen other workers, most of them Latino, also were hired.

Like Qintana, many Latinos with ties to the home building industry got slammed by the recession, which wiped out about 2 million construction jobs.

But now, as the economic rebound picks up a bit of steam, Latinos are scoring bigger job gains than most other demographic groups and proving to be a bright spot in the fledgling recovery.

While they make up only 15% of the country's workforce, Latinos have racked up half the employment gains posted since the economy began adding jobs in early 2010, Labor Department data showed. READ MORE

Emely Galvez is a young Latina that is taking her parents’ entrepreneurial spirit to the next level.

Unlike many of the young, well-connected tech entrepreneurs portrayed in the media, Galvez, founder of HoustonBookExchange.com, didn’t get funding from a venture capital firm or startup incubator.

Instead, this budding tech mogul took the traditional route most entrepreneurs use to secure financing in the early stages of their work – she turned to her family.

Her father, the owner of a used car dealership, and mother, a realtor, became angel investors in the company. They provided $15,000 to launch the project.

The Young Entrepreneurs Council says that 52 percent of individuals 16 to 39 year old feel they don’t have sufficient resources to start a business. Another 24 percent report not having enough government or financial support. READ MORE

When San Francisco restaurateur Traci Des Jardins collected $30,000 in prize money from Bravo TV's "Top Chef Masters" last year, she promptly passed on the check to La Cocina, the nonprofit Mission District incubator program that supports low-income edible enterprises, many run by Latinas.

At Oakland's recent TEDx conference on farmworkers, two Latina speakers - Amelia Ceja of Ceja Vineyards in the Napa Valley and Maria Catalan of Catalan Farms in Hollister (San Benito County) - talked about the challenges they faced as Spanish-speaking farmhands of limited means toiling in the fields with their parents.

Fast-forward to today and these business owners, both firsts in their fields, help other Latinas do well in the food world and beyond.

For chef Dominica Rice - who recently opened Cosecha, a Mexican cafe in Swan's Marketplace in Old Oakland - employing, training and promoting Latina employees is a top priority. And those who get a helping hand from La Cocina give back by volunteering for community causes and sharing profits with the organization that supported their startup business. READ MORE

The statistics for Latinas suffering from child birth related depression continue to climb.

From socio-economics to cultural beliefs, many suffer in silence mainly because they are reluctant to admit something is wrong.

San Ysidro Health Center physician Dr. James Cevallos says it is typical for any mother to get the blues when dealing with a new baby.

"Sadness, guilt, just not feeling pleasure, if it's beyond two weeks that's when we're really concerned," said Cevallos.

He says around 10% of the mothers he treats at the center have postpartum depression.

According to a recent study by Postpartum Support International, Latinas are 37% more likely to suffer from the disorder - compared to 25% for the general population.

"Some have thought that there's a hormonal factor involved in postpartum depression but the truth is there are multiple areas that it could be involved in causing depression," said Cevallos.

For Latinas, he says, it is not so much biological as it is cultural.

"It's something that might be shameful to the culture and we know that mental disease in the Latino culture is something that's looked at as something that you should be able to handle on your own," said Cevallos.

A lack of proper health care also plays a factor when it comes to early detection. READ MORE

Wow. Or should I say wepa? The first month of the year is not over, and already we have seen three big indicators that media companies and advertisers are chasing the Latino market, and language is the story. Last week, Fox announced that they will be launching a Spanish-language TV network. This morning, NBC Latino, an English-language operation, announced their launch on Facebook and Twitter. Also this morning is news from Ooyala that it is powering the introduction of cable network NuvoTV — whose audiences prefer English and a little bit of Spanglish — into a range of social and mobile environments.

I say that language is the story in each of these announcements because of an interesting experience I had a few days ago. I was in Pasadena to take part in a panel discussion at Southern California Public Radio and someone in the audience asked why so many media companies were confused about their Spanish language strategy. I replied that media companies are not at all confused but instead are beginning to gain a finer grasp of the Latino population and their preferences for language, content, and engagement. The three announcements throw the situation into sharp relief. READ MORE

When it comes to courting the Latino demographic, there's a demo within that demo that might be worth listening to.

Let's call it the Soccer mamis -- the Latina mothers who represent 55% of the overall U.S. population growth, according to 2010 Census figures. Their babies account for nearly a quarter of the children being born in the U.S.

Rene Alegria started a blog called Mamiverse targeting this group after doing marketing research that showed Latina moms have enormous influence over how their community makes decisions on things like buying and core beliefs.

"We're taught from a very early age to respect and honor our parents, our moms in particular," he said. "As more and more Latina moms attend college and enter the workforce, her opinions hold a tremendous amount of sway in areas way beyond the home. Politics is one of those areas."

Florida's 4.2 million Latinos represent the third-largest Latino population in the United States, 23% of all Floridians. So Alegria commissioned a poll to get some insight into what these Latino mommies care about in the days leading up to Tuesday's Republican primary. The survey, conducted by Latino Decisions, which gave it a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points, was released to CNN Thursday morning. READ MORE

USHLI & HispanicPro Latino Professionals Conference Networking Reception & Entertainment Night Enjoy an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, comedy, live music, and dancing!!!

As USHLI celebrates its 30th National Conference, join USHLI and HispanicPro for the largest networking event of the year for Chicago's Latino professional community, and a fun-filled night of spirits, comedy, music, and dancing! The Celebration will be sponsored by Wells Fargo. Product will be provided by MillerCoors and Quaker Oats.

Comedian Shayla Rivera will be the host of the night and will share her 8-year career at NASA and her transition from rocket scientist to the comedy stage. Together, a highly talented eleven member band with diversified musical styles from pop to rhythm and blues to big band and Latin rock, will perform for the audience, showcasing an extraordinary and unique sound that is all their own.

Our Special Celebrity Guest will be Tejano Music Hall of Fame Inductee Johnny Hernandez.  For nearly five decades this music legend has entertained millions of fans along with his brother Little Joe, and their band La Familia.  He has also performed with other music greats including Santana, Los Tigres del Norte, and Willie Nelson.

Thursday, February 16
6 pm – 8 pm: Networking Reception – Open bar and hors d'oeuvres
8 pm – 9 pm: Together – Open bar and snacks
9 pm – 10 pm: Shayla Rivera Performance – Open bar and snacks
10 pm – 12 am: Together – Open bar and snacks

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers
River Exhibit Hall
301 E. North Water St., Chicago IL 60611 

RSVP is required to attend. Please RSVP here: http://2012ushlinetworking.eventbrite.com/

A suggested $10 minimum donation, at the door, is requested to support the USHLI Scholarship Fund.

Click here for full conference registration. Discounted registration ends February 3, 2012.

The fastest growing minority group in the United States is also turning into one of the fastest growing group of business owners.

Latinos, who surged 43 percent in the 2010 Census and rose to 50.5 million in 2010 from 35.3 million in 2000, own almost three million businesses that generate $400 billion annually.

“Since Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S., we really have a unique opportunity to be part of the economic growth history of the United States,” said Raquel Castillo, the media director of the business consulting company Growthink. READ MORE

Yesterday’s South Carolina Republican debate set in idyllic Myrtle Beach belied the chaotic and boisterous verbal dueling going on inside the Myrtle Beach Conference Center.

There didn’t appear to be much adherence to time limits or audience control – the booing was at one of the highest decibel levels seen thus far. 

Only Romney seemed above it all by focusing not on the other Presidential contenders but rather on Obama bashing.  Most of the early questions focused on Romney’s business style and his job growth record – you would of thought he was the CEO of multiple Fortune 100’s by the number of jobs he allegedly created instead of financing the talents of the real job creators – entrepreneurs.

After debating on how to create jobs, who hated Osama bin Laden more and all agreeing 99er’s (those American out of work more than 99 weeks) are for sure deadbeats, questions of immigration landed on Romney’s podium.

The man who continuously asserted his priority to ‘strengthening families’ didn’t appear bothered much by splitting up families when a member is deported or having as many of the undocumented leave ASAP.

When the question on immigration was posed it was started by the moderating panel pointing out that Romney’s father was born in Mexico – while returning to the U.S. where Mitt was born making him the ultimate anchor baby (that’s my term not theirs).

The question was framed as to why when someone had a father born in Mexico are they also identified ‘as having one of the harshest stance on immigration.’ 

Let me point at what is being implied here.  Point One -Romney you are of Mexican descent, have relatives living in Mexico.  Point Two – Your father left Mexico for the U.S. to give his family a better opportunity.  Point Three - The people you are seeking to deport or at least the majority of them could be family or family of family, i.e. Mexican.  Point Four – You are the son of an immigrant yet don’t connect with the immigrant struggle.http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/por-que/details/leave-and-get-in-line-romney-tells-the-undocumented-at-the-sc-debate/13373/