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1 theme to highlight: Join political forces
Left-leaning Latina political advisers, tired of being underrepresented in their field, have formed a coalition to help others.
Why It Matters
: Latinos are one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the United States—about 30.6 million were eligible to vote in 2020—but campaign managers have few Hispanic political consultants.
The number of Latinas hired as consultants is even lower.
Despite the fact that both parties in the US seek to attract more of the Latino voters.
Especially since they also go to the polls more often: 88% of those who were registered voted in 2020.
News Momentum
: Various data from both polls and recent primary elections show that Republicans are making gains among Latino communities.
Latino political advisers warn that the Democrats have been losing ground with those voters because the campaigns ignored them and because they did not hire Latino consultants who know better how to appeal to that electorate.
That's why seven women formed a coalition
to help other progressive Latina political consultants navigate the world of campaigning.
Members of the Latina Consultants Group organization Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Latina Consultants Group has locations in Washington DC, Arizona and California.
Those in charge told Axios Latino that they offer services ranging from communication strategies such as graphic design and video production to purchases of television spaces and mailing of flyers to encourage voting.
[Plan your vote: everything you need to do to make your voice heard in the November elections]
It should be noted:
Republican Latinas are also forging more political ground while Democrats are seeking greater representation in candidacies and campaigns.
In Texas, several Republican Latinas were successful in the primaries in early March, with a view to being the first Republican state congresswomen of Hispanic origin, according to Noticias Telemundo's sister network, NBC Latino.
Bottom line
: Latinas make up 18% of the US population, and vote more often than Latinos.
However, they only represent 4.3% of those who hold leadership positions in groups dedicated to directing campaigns and less than 3% of the seats in the federal Congress, according to Vanessa Cárdenas, a member of Latina Consultants Group.
However, "those numbers are not due to a lack of talent," he stressed.
2. The growing Nicaraguan exile
More Nicaraguans are fleeing their country than in recent years, seeking refuge in neighboring Costa Rica, as well as the United States and Mexico.
Why it matters
: The exodus of Nicaraguans has intensified as the government of Daniel Ortega and First Lady/Vice President Rosario Murillo have renewed their persecution of opponents.
Since mid-2021 there have been arrests of high-profile political figures, and in February they began sentencing dissidents to years in prison on charges such as "ideological falsehood."
Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president Rosario MurilloAlfredo Zuniga / AP
Ortega and Murillo were declared winners of widely criticized elections in November, after most of the other candidates were jailed.
Last week, who was the Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) even broke with his government.
In public and surprising statements, Arturo McFields described Ortega as a dictator, saying that he could no longer remain silent as there were "177 political prisoners and more than 350 killed in protests."
In figures
: More than 63,000 Nicaraguans have been intercepted by immigration authorities at the US border this fiscal year (from October to date).
That number is higher than for the entire fiscal year 2021, according to data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In Costa Rica, in just the last eight months, nearly half of the 150,000 Nicaraguans seeking asylum in that nation have crossed, according to the UN.
The number of Nicaraguan asylum seekers in Mexico has also increased by 300% recently: there were 800 applications in 2020 but 3,700 in 2021 and so far this year.
Between the lines
: The UN recently warned that the surge in Nicaraguans fleeing their country means the Costa Rican asylum system could soon be overwhelmed.
There is also a growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the small Central American nation.
Beyond
: Mass migration from Central America, especially from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, has been on the rise for years, fueled by economic instability, violence, and climate change.
3. Those who keep the shine of Hollywood
Latinos continued their movie-going habits in the pandemic, even though the community is rarely represented on the big screen.
General panorama:
In the first year of the pandemic, movie ticket sales fell 72%.
However, various reports show that Latino, black and Asian viewers helped keep the industry afloat.
In numbers:
Latinos make up 19% of the US population, but their power is greater in terms of movie ticket sales: 29% of all seats sold in 2020 were filled by Latinos, according to Motion Picture Association.
Latino talent wins space at the Oscars but has a long way to go
March 27, 202201:51
Despite this support for the film industry, only 5.4% of the leading characters in films in 2020 were of Latino origin and only 5.7% of the roles were played by someone Latino, according to the annual report on diversity in Hollywood. from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
There is also very little Latino representation in behind-the-scenes jobs, such as writers, directors, and more.
Further:
Latinos don't just buy more movie tickets, they buy tickets on a movie's opening weekend, when box office receipts are key, said Ana Christina RamĂłn, co-author of the UCLA diversity report.
Non-white people contributed to a majority of the box office for six of the 10 most-watched movies in theaters in 2020, according to the UCLA report.
RamĂłn said that this is relevant, because "it highlights the fact that Latinos consume a lot from the entertainment industry, and not passively: they want to go see these movies, they are interested in seeing the most anticipated film the same weekend as premiere".
Bottom line:
"Latino audiences really see going to the movies as an important and affordable way to get entertainment" for the whole family, Ramon said.
4. Remembering a pioneer
A new biography highlights the life of a Latino civil rights leader who is little known but whose contributions were key.
This is who co-founded one of the most influential Hispanic civil rights organizations in the United States.
Overview
: The book
Pioneer of Mexican American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales
has just been published at a time when states like Texas are limiting the study of Latino and Mexican-American history, when few biographies of Latino historical figures already exist. .
The biography of Alonso PeralesCourtesy of Arte PĂşblico Press
More Details
: Perales was one of the most influential Mexican-American civil rights advocates of the 20th century, argues biographer Cynthia Orozco, professor of history and humanities at Eastern New Mexico University.
At times it was also controversial, according to Orozco, but still Perales has been practically forgotten.
Quick Count
: Perales was born in Alice, Texas, in 1898, and was orphaned as a child.
He worked in the fields and on the railroad before serving in the US Army during World War I.
After returning from the war, he and other Mexican-Americans founded the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in 1929, in response to the discrimination they faced in Texas.
Perales graduated from the George Washington University School of Law, becoming one of the first Mexican-American attorneys in the nation.
He has spoken publicly several times against discrimination, worked to register Latinos to vote, and served as a US diplomat.
The Intrigue
: Although Perales was a Democrat in his early years, he switched to the Republican Party in the 1950s.
He aroused controversy at the time, as he became an avid anti-communist who openly supported US Senator Joseph McCarthy.
5. Summary of key news in Latin America and the Caribbean
Nineteen of the 20 victims of a massacre in Michoacán
, Mexico, that occurred this weekend have been identified.
Three were US citizens.
The victims were caught in the crossfire of rival cartels while watching a cockfight, according to the investigation.
Mother of the Americans shot in Michoacán says that the one who survived "does not know that her sister is dead"
March 30, 202201:54
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo
survived
a vacancy impeachment attempt this week, his second in just eight months in power.
Fifty-five lawmakers backed moving forward with a trial and possible impeachment, short of the 87 votes needed.
Castillo was accused of corruption and "moral incapacity," a charge used by Congress in six presidential removal attempts since 2016.
Costa Rican presidential candidates
are tied ahead of Sunday's vote in the Central American country.
Polls show that 41% plan to vote for former banker Rodrigo Chaves and 38% support former president José Manuel Figueres.
6. 🥑 Will there be life on Mars?
A Peruvian scientist is part of a NASA-funded research project looking at how to grow food on Mars.
Details
: Engineer Gustavo Jamanca Lino recently collected samples at HI-SEAS, a station on an extinct Hawaiian volcano with soils similar to Mars and the Moon where scientists conduct simulation missions.
Peruvian engineer wants to create farms on Mars
March 14, 202202:29
Jamanca will study the potential of lunar soil for mining and construction, and how to grow food on Martian soil.
The Peruvian says that his personal dream is to be able to plant avocados in an environment similar to that of Mars.
He owns a field with avocado and other fruit trees north of Lima, Peru.
"Avocados, potatoes, legumes and trees that serve as a protein supplement for astronauts" is what he foresees will be possible one day.
Pachanga Thursday:
Community garden under construction by the Alianza Nacional de CampesinasCourtesy
Congratulations to the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, an organization of women farmworkers, who recently received a $175,000 grant to continue their work building community gardens with which experts pass on their knowledge of sustainable farming. Safe and Healthy Mother Earth” also looks for ways to reduce exposure to toxic agents in agribusiness.
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