They call themselves the fifth power.

Empowered by social media and tech savvy, thousands of students in Mexico have taken to the streets this past week to protest presidential election coverage they believe is slanted toward an apparent frontrunner of the party that ruled the country uninterrupted for 71 years.

Students from diverse universities, public and private, are suddenly becoming a force to be reckoned with prior to the country’s July 1 presidential election. Some are dubbing it the Mexican Spring, after the Middle East uprisings, and Mexico Despierta, “Mexico Awakens.” Like the Arab Spring movements in Egypt and Tunisia, these are fueled by social media – through text messages, photos and videos spread through YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Mexico hasn’t experienced such a movement since the 1968 worker and student protests held against the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which governed Mexico, mostly through corruption and fraud, from 1929-2000.

“The End of the Silence,” writer Raymundo Riva Palacio called it in his Eje Central column after tens of thousands of young people marched in Mexico City and in 30 cities across the nation on Saturday, May 19 to protest against PRI candidate Enrique Pena Nieto, whom they claim has been declared the virtual victor and given preferential treatment in most media, as has been the case for decades in Mexico.

“With the feeling that there is an oppressive political force, these young Mexicans have injected a new dynamic force to the election process,” Riva Palacio wrote. “There should be a study to see if what we’re seeing in universities and in the streets is or isn’t a phenomenon..Are these young people telling us they will massively vote? Or is it that there’s a generational divide like never before?”

It started innocently enough. On May 11, the 45-year-old Pena Nieto spoke at the Universidad Iberoamericana, a Jesuit-run private institution that caters to the upper-classes, and was booed by several hundred students. The PRI made light of that protest, saying the students were political plants and sympathizers of leftist candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador, running second in presidential polls after Pena Nieto.

The PRI claim was repeated by much of the country’s print and television  media, primarily the Televisa conglomerate that dominates the airwaves. It didn’t help that a week earlier on May 8, Lopez Obrador gave the popular journalist and anchorwoman Carmen Aristegui documents allegedly proving Pena Nieto paid Televisa millions of dollars for positive coverage when he was governor of the state of Mexico, from 2005 to 2011.

Following the Iberoamericana protest, 131 students made a You Tube video showing their credentials to prove they were indeed enrolled at the university and didn’t belong to a political party. The 131 figure has now blossomed into a burgeoning call-to-arms movement called “Somos mas de 131″ (We are more than 131) and the Twitter hashtag “LaMarchSomos132,” to include anyone who joins the original 131.

That hashtag has been a top trend on Twitter for eight days straight. Under that hashtag, that protest last Saturday ballooned to 46,000 people, mostly young, marching to Mexico City’s famed Angel Monument, a rallying point for soccer and political victories.

On July 1, an estimated 14 million young people will vote in Mexico’s presidential election, and roughly 3.4 million will cast ballots for the first time. Whether they are enough to alter an outcome remains to be seen.

“I believe in this movement, I believe young people have a great power in their hands,” student Paula Diaz told CNN en Espanol. “We have information and the (Internet) media just like the others. We think we can do something big.”

SAN ANTONIO, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The Ram Truck brand and The Chrysler Foundation today awarded a $50,000 grant to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the nation’s largest provider of college financial aid for Latino students. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund/Chrysler Scholarship Program is designed to support outstanding Latino undergraduate or graduate students interested in a career in the automotive industry.

The grant was announced by Fred Diaz, President and CEO – Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico, Chrysler Group LLC, during the International Hispanic Network’s gala and awards ceremony in San Antonio.

“I believe what has anchored me through the ups and downs at Chrysler are my roots,” Diaz told the audience. “Despite being somewhat underprivileged in my younger years, I have very fond memories of growing up in a warm, close-knit, densely populated Hispanic community where everyone looked out for each other, respected one another and where humility was and continues to be a cherished value.

“Needless to say, my heart belongs to San Antonio and we plan to come back home some day and spend the rest of our lives here.”

Diaz reminisced about growing up in San Antonio during his address, and how his mother influenced his passion and dedication towards making his hometown a better place. As a result, Diaz directs his yearly donations to the United Way of San Antonio in support of education, and women and children’s shelters.

“As a Latino, I am doubly proud that my company has a strong commitment to diversity and multiculturalism,” Diaz said.

In December 2011, Diaz announced a similar $50,000 grant to HSF during the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fiesta Hispana Gala in Dearborn, Mich. The newly announced Hispanic Scholarship Fund/Chrysler Scholarship Program continues a longstanding relationship between The Chrysler Foundation and HSF, which began in 1986. Since that time, HSF has received 26 grants from the Foundation totaling more than $800,000; with the last $100,000 being announced in the past six months.

“Inclusion and diversity are core Chrysler Group values,” said Jody Trapasso, Senior Vice President – External Affairs, Chrysler Group LLC and President of The Chrysler Foundation. “The Chrysler Group is proud to partner with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to help expand educational opportunities.”

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

Be of Hispanic heritage

Be pursuing their first undergraduate or graduate degreeBe a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident with a permanent resident card or passport I-551 (not expired)

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney sidestepped the issue of immigration and instead unveiled a plan for education reform to an audience at the Latino Coalition Economic Summit.

Romney said the United States is facing a “national education emergency,” while promising what he would do as president to revamp the education system.

The strategy includes changing funding formulas, boosting charter schools and providing parents of low-income and special need students a choice of which schools their children can attend.

“Here we are the most prosperous nation on earth, but millions of our kids are getting a third-world education and America’s minority children suffer the most. This is the civil rights issue of our era,” Romney said. “As president, I will pursue a very bold policy of change that will restore the promise of our national education system.”

He made his speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to a gathering of Latino small business owners.

Romney blamed President Obama for siding with teacher unions, who he claims are the biggest donors to the president’s campaign. The former Massachusetts governor said that the president has put campaign financing ahead of students.

Part of Romney’s plan involves expanding parental choice by using a voucher system to allocate federal education funds for parents to use when choosing a school. It might include the possibility of a private or charter school.

Romney acknowledged that he would continue backing the No Child Left Behind law. He added that he would reward states that improve teacher effectiveness.

“For the first time in history, federal education funds will be linked to a student, so that parents can send their child to any public or charter school, or to a private school, where permitted,” he said. “States will be rewarded if they regularly evaluate teachers for their effectiveness and compensate the best teachers for their success.”

According to statistics cited by Romney, the United States lags behind other countries globally. He said the nation ranks 14 out of 34 in reading globally; 17 out of 34 in science; and 25 out of 34 in math.

Jim Lyons, a civil rights attorney who worked in the U.S. Department of Education under President Jimmy Carter, said that the voucher system would only exacerbate the problem for Latino students.

“Parents would have to locate a school that was willing to educate their children for the amount of the voucher,” Lyons stated. “More importantly, private schools are not held to the same civil rights requirements that apply to public schools.”

Other components of Romney’s plan includes expanding the District of Columbia’s Opportunity Scholarship Program, using flexible block grants rewarding teachers and facilitating federal aid for college finance.

Obama’s education reform program has hit several road blocks considering his ‘Race to the Top’ program. The education program awards states with the highest performance in schools. Critics say it makes education a competition.

Recent polls show Romney and Obama in a tight race. According to media reports, these polls show that neither candidate is above five points. The surveys indicate Romney is posing a challenge to Obama.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has often named as a potential running mate for Romney, attended the summit. Rubio gave a personal speech on family values, while intertwining it with the spirit needed for Latino entrepreneurs to succeed.

None of the two politicians referred to immigration directly.

That didn’t discourage DREAM Act students from rallying outside the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. One of the Dreamers went inside and interrupted Romney’s speech. Cesar Vargas, a dreamer who aspires to join the military, told VOXXI the pressure is placed on Rubio if he aligns himself with Romney.

“It’s just simply a hypocrisy. He (Romney) is talking about the American Dream, but what his American Dream is not is the American dream for Latinos,” said Vargas. “Undocumented immigrants are starting businesses at a faster rate and he comes here to try to sell that?”

Among Hispanic voters, Romney has ground more ground to cover. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News polling, Obama leads Romney 71 percent to 27 percent among Latino voters.

Raisa Camargo is a staff writer at Voxxi.

This article first appeared in Voxxi.

[Photo By c.berlet/publiceye.org]

Recently, I became a victim of the economy and its whims and became underemployed but with health benefits. So the quick fix was to interview for a position I was well acquainted with – working with children in an environment conducive to learning. I received a solitary callback from a program I was not well acquainted with so I jotted down the address and dressed in my best funeral clothes.

The interview was hours away from where I stay, so I was not able to time my appearance. I arrived about ninety minutes before I was supposed to be there. The receptionist peered at me from behind her desk. The “You want it when?!?” sticker was the extent of her sense of humor. She spoke in a wry and empty tone as she smacked her pen off her glasses:

“Sir, you are here far too early. You are going to have to wait, but you cannot do that here.”

It only rains out here in Southern California about twice a year, and that day was one of those days. So I waited outside trying to avoid the rain like a Charlie Chaplin melodrama using a napkin as an umbrella.

I waited out the rain and time, and then I was ushered into an auditorium along with twenty other people. Just like everyone else, I looked at my competition and began sizing them up. The majority of them were half my age, and dressed in casual wear. The interviewers made us wait for thematic effect. There were eight interviewers that walked in like the descendants of the Great Oz. They certainly made me feel like I was applying to become one of the flying monkeys.

The interviewers informed us that we would be interviewed as a group. We were soon divided into four groups with two interviewers each. My team consisted of four young ladies, and me,  and we remained in the auditorium with two of the coordinators. They introduced themselves and we were then encouraged to introduce ourselves. I was the fourth in the row sandwiched between two ladies named Diamond and Tiarrah. The first lady was a Michigan transplant named Liz and the second person was a young lady named Debbie from Arizona. The interview was set up to be an out of the box experience. The interviewers put papers with random questions in front of us. We were then supposed to pick up a paper and answer the scenario described on the paper.

Debbie from Arizona was asked about what she would do with a child who does not respect discipline as well as what she would do to connect with children during her first week on the site. I loved her, because she answered every question with the same answer. Her plan was to tell the children that she knew where they were coming from because she lived in a bad neighborhood while she attended Arizona State – so she knew where they were coming from. However, not every neighborhood in Los Angeles is a war torn village.

Diamond and Tiarrah were asked similar questions about bullying. Their plan involved telling the students’ mommies and daddies. Diamond then went on to share a nightmare scenario about how one of her former students fell on a park sprinkler that went through the child’s neck, and she reacted by calling her mommy. I wanted to ask why she never called the paramedics. The interviewers took notes about the situation, but never asked her any follow up questions.

Liz from Michigan did not have any experience working with children, yet she was an experienced dog walker. When she was asked about what she would do if an intoxicated parent entered the school ground, she wanted the interviewer to distinguish if the parent was drunk or under the influence of some other drug. I don’t think they called Liz back.

My question dealt with a missing child and how to deal with a hysterical mother. My initial reaction was to ask if she had been drinking earlier, but I voted against it. My real answer consisted of splitting up the employees into three groups. The coordinator should be in charge of searching open classrooms and all bathrooms with the mother and assure her that her child will be found. The second team establishes a timeline to determine when the last time this child was last seen was. The third team coordinates a list of contacts of friends and family members were this particular child could have gone. When those options are exhausted then it is time to call the police.

I was trying to read my interviewers’ faces, but they buried them in their notes. I felt I was the most qualified since I was the only one who showed up with a resume. They assured me they would get back to me in a week, but it took them nearly a month. In the end, they offered me a part time job, without benefits, and a third less pay that would conflict with the job that gives me benefits. I had to turn them down and hope that Debbie can relate with me since I still live in bad neighborhood.

[Photo By stevendepolo]

“I recently had the joy of being in Yucatán… Cancun sounds familiar to someone? =) One of the best places we dine at, is called Labná, in the center of Cancun. Its an old style restaurant with very traditional yucatecan food. And of course I tried a very traditional Sopa de Lima (Lime soup) and I was delighted… Back home, I tried to recreated it, and searched for recipes everywhere. Here’s the best one I’ve got! enjoy!”

Yields: 4 portions

Preparation time: 15 min.

Cooking time: 30 min.

Ingredients

- FOR THE BROTH

• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken or turkey thighs, cut into large chunkS

- FOR THE SOUP AND GARNISH

• 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips
• 2 tbsp cooking oil, plus more for shallow frying
• 1/2 medium white onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 plum tomato, minced
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• - salt to taste

May the Forks be with you.

El Guapo writes The Daily Refried, and is, without question, the foremost authority on all things sinvergüenza. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter @TheDailyRefried.

One of my all-time favorite movies as a kid was Men in Black. My brother and I would watch it almost every day. We loved everything about it: the action, humor, aliens and story. A few years later, Men in Black 2 came out and well… that was a disappointment. So much so, that I honestly can’t recall any detail from it since I probably blocked it out of my memory. Therefore, when I heard that the MIB franchise was coming back with a third movie, I can’t say I was looking forward to it. And when the trailer came out, that didn’t do anything to pique my interests. So, it was a surprise when I left the theater last night and could honestly say I was happy that the Men in Black are back.

In Men in Black III, we’re hanging out again with Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones). After 15 years with the Men in Black, J is still trying to connect and get to know his ever unforthcoming partner, K. When Boris the Animal escapes his prison to get revenge, Agent K’s fate is hanging in the balance. And the only way K (and the world) can be saved is if Agent J goes back in time to 1969 to stop Boris from killing the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) and starting an alien invasion.

MIB³ is a hell of a time at the movies. The plot and dialogue are very entertaining. It was just a ton of fun watching the Men in Black in action again. The chemistry between Smith and Jones is as strong as ever. It made me wonder if the same could be said for Smith and Brolin, who plays the younger version of Jones’ characters. And the same could be said! Brolin gets all of Jones mannerisms down to a T; it’s a great performance.

At first, I thought the time travel plot would be a disaster but in fact, it ended up saving this movie. It’s a refreshing concept that also allows the audience to get to know the Agents better. What can we say that we know about J and K? Very few details, especially from K. The time travel plot gave us a chance to understand those characters better and possibly the real reasons why K recruited J. Since that was all executed pretty well, I was happy to discover all that.

My one major complaint about the movie is the villain. Boris the Animal wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t great either. He’s sort of forgettable. Literally, I forgot about him at times during the film. He never felt like a major threat. At least, not like the villain in the original Men in Blackdid. Although, I will say that the thing that grew out of his hand was gross. Ick!

If you love Men in Black, then MIB³ is a must-see, even if you’re skeptical! It’s such a great and fun summer film. It’s really great to see my two favorite agents back together, fighting aliens and saving the world.

Men in Black III hits theaters tomorrow, May 25^th. 

The Young Folks is a website dedicated to give everyone a young perspective of what’s new in today’s pop culture. We will talk about the latest albums, movies, TV shows, concerts, and books that everyone is talking about, etc.

Will Latinos elect Obama? (Salon):  A closer look at the numbers is not so reassuring for the president. Much of the growth in the Latino population has occurred in California, Texas, Illinois and New York, which are not likely to be competitive come Election Day. While the Latino population is growing fast, the Latino electorate is not.

At its best, nation makes immigrants fully American (San Antonio Express-News): the assimilation machine is growing creaky. Diversity is now an industry. Multiculturalism, an ideology hostile to the assimilationist ethic, is ascendant. An obsessive racialism is sanctioned by government, which draws congressional districts and awards contracts based on race. The universities and corporate America are in thrall to affirmative action.

Alabama’s bad road on immigration (Los Angeles Times):  Apparently, Alabama lawmakers felt they hadn’t gone far enough last year when they enacted the most draconian immigration law in the nation, which, among other things, required schools to determine the immigration status of their students. Now, the Legislature has revised the law to ensure that it does further damage to the state’s reputation and stirs even more fear among Latinos.

Group seeks to define Obama as “worse than Joe Arpaio” on immigration (CBS News):  Is President Obama “the most anti-immigrant president we’ve ever had?”  That’s the bold claim being made by conservative Latino strategist Alfonso Aguilar, who is spearheading a new effort designed to diminish Latino support for Mr. Obama in the key swing state of Nevada ahead of the November elections.

 Poll: Hispanic voters overwhelmingly support Obama (The Hill): Latino voters overwhelmingly support President Obama over Mitt Romney, according to a NBC News-Wall Street Journal-Telemundo poll released on Wednesday.

Mitt Romney: What Dream Act? (Huffington Post):  Mitt Romney has said he supports finding a solution for undocumented students. But you wouldn’t know it from his Wednesday speech on education to Latino business leaders, where the issue went untouched, leaving some audience members concerned that he simply doesn’t have a plan.

Romney begins to stir in fight for U.S. Hispanic votes (Reuters/MSNBC):  Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney is launching a push to appeal to Hispanic voters but has far to go to reverse a huge lead that President Barack Obama holds with this key voting bloc.

Mitt Fenced in on Immigration (Mother Jones):  When it comes to immigration policy, Mitt Romney has decided that discretion is the better part of valor. In his speech before Latino business leaders at the Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, Romney decided to avoid the whole immigration issue altogether.

What Romney Should Do About Immigration (The New York Times):  Earlier this month, asked about Mitt Romney’s immigration policy, Bettina Inclan, the director of Hispanic outreach for the Republican National Committee, stumbled into the remark that “he’s still deciding what his position on immigration is.” While the campaign distanced itself from the gaffe immediately, the comment was actually good advice, even if unintentional.

Romney Seeks School-Choice Program Using Taxpayers’ Money (Bloomberg News/San Francisco Chronicle): Mitt Romney proposed a series of steps to overhaul the public education system, reigniting the debate over school choice as his campaign intensifies its effort to introduce the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to a general-election audience.

Marco Rubio: ‘Historic’ reasons for Obama’s wide lead among Hispanics (The Washington Post): “The reality is that there are communities in this country where there are Americans of Hispanic descent that have been Democrats for 20 or 30 years. Or they live in communities that are largely Democratic, and if you’re not part of the Democrat Party, well, you can’t participate in politics there. So, folks like that aren’t going to change their party affiliation in one election.”

Romney touting education plan in Philadelphia; Obama to Iowa (The Washington Post):  Here’s a look at what is happening with each candidate and their campaigns Wednesday, courtesy of the White House press office and the PBS News Hour Political Calendar.

Civil rights leaders cry foul over poll closures (Associated Press/The Miami Herald):  Sarasota-area civil rights leaders say plans to eliminate dozens of voting precincts in the southwest Florida county amounts to voter suppression.

The Growing Debate Over the Voting Rights Act (Color Lines): Articles on the Voting Rights Act are increasingly being filed in the “obituary” section, even though it’s less than 50 years old. Last week, a U.S. Court of Appeals decision ruled against Shelby County, Ala., which challenged the constitutionality of VRA’s Section 5. A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that it was still constitutional, but the dissenting judge, Senior Circuit Judge Stephen F. Williams, asked some tough questions that will need to be resolved before the Supreme Court inevitably looks at it again (In 2009, SCOTUS punted on this issue, but expressed serious skepticism about Section 5’s vitality.) Wrote Judge Williams in his dissent.

Texas voter ID case is in no way simple or easy (Fort Worth Star Telegram):  People who say there shouldn’t be such a fuss over the Texas voter ID law are so sweetly naive. It’s no big deal, they say. We get asked to show a driver’s license all the time, from when we write a check or pay for something with a credit or debit card to when we check in at the doctor’s office. We do it without a second thought to show we are who we say we are.

 Doggett runs hard for re-election in Latino district (Austin American-Statesman):  U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett isn’t taking any chances. Ahead of Tuesday’s primary election to represent Congressional District 35, Doggett, D-Austin, has been campaigning hard to return to Washington.

Ted Cruz: The Next Latino Tea Party Star? (Fronteras Desk):  He’s being touted as the Marco Rubio of Texas, an up-and-coming Latino politician with solid Tea Party backing. Ted Cruz, 41, who grew up in Houston as the son of Cuban refugees, knows he’s at the cusp of a major political breakthrough. He’s in a close race to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison as the next U.S. senator from Texas.

Gloves stay on in quiet NM Senate primary, but there’ll be a battle in November election (Associated Press/The Star Tribune):  Four years ago, Heather Wilson gave up her House seat from New Mexico to make a run for a rare opening in the Senate. She lost in a bare-knuckled Republican primary. This year she has the luxury of sitting back as the Democratic successor to her House seat takes a similar gamble.

Dolores Huerta: Siempre En La Lucha: Latinos and Marriage Equality (Huffington Post):  As soon as President Obama announced his support for marriage equality earlier this month, pundits and Republican strategists started speculating that the president’s pro-equality stance would cost him among Latino voters. They figured that most Latino voters are Catholic, therefore they must be willing to vote against the President because of his support of marriage equality.

Janet Murgia: A Disappointing Television Season for the Latino Community (Huffington Post): Last week, the Census Bureau released updated population numbers affirming once again that Latinos are America’s largest and fastest-growing minority. There are now 52 million of us residing in the U.S.–nearly one in five Americans. Perhaps the most striking statistic is that more than half of babies born in the U.S. are “minorities,” and minority children make up half of all children under the age of five–the American future in a nutshell.

“Hispanic Sustainability Nielsen says Latino culture is here to stay” (dm2hispanics): In State of the Hispanic Consumer, The Hispanic Market Imperative, Nielsen has identified several unique circumstances that combine to make Hispanics the largest population group to exhibit culture sustainability—including borderless social networking, retro acculturation, technology as a facilitator for cultural exchange and an emerging generation that combines Hispanic and U.S. cultures.”

ELECTION DAY: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES: 38
TOTAL POPULATION (2010): 25,145,561
LATINO POPULATION (2010): 9,460,921
PROJECTED LATINO VOTE IN 2012: 1,987,000
PROJECTED LATINO SHARE OF TEXAS VOTE: 21.3%

In the last three presidential contests, Texans have generally supported the Republican candidate – in 2000 and 2004, the state handed decisive victories to its former governor, George W. Bush, who received 59% and 61% of the vote, respectively. In 2008, U.S. Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) margin of victory was somewhat smaller, when he garnered 55% of the vote. In contrast, exit poll data suggest that Latino partisan preferences in the presidential contests fluctuated significantly between 2004 and 2008. In 2004, these data indicate that the Latino vote was nearly evenly split between Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and President Bush (50% to 49%). In 2008, the gap between the Republican and Democratic candidates appeared much larger, with 63% of Latinos supporting President Obama compared to 35% for Senator McCain.

Latinos played a particularly key role in Texas’ 2008 Democratic presidential primary contest. In 2008, both parties changed their primary schedules, and a large cluster of elections took place near the start of the year. Because many major primaries or nominating caucuses had occurred by February 5 (“Super Duper Tuesday”), some political observers predicted that the presidential nominees for both parties would be determined by that date. However, in a remarkable turn of events, the Democratic race proved so competitive, that the early primaries did not decide it.

With its March 4 election, Texas became a key battleground for the Democratic nominees. Exit poll data suggest that the Latino vote was crucial to the victory of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in Texas, which essentially allowed her to remain a viable candidate in the Democratic primary. Senator Clinton’s margin of victory among all Texas Democrats was relatively narrow. She received 50.9% of the vote compared with then-Senator Obama’s 47.4%. The exit poll data indicate that Texas Latino Democrats favored Senator Clinton over Senator Obama by 66% to 32%. Former President Bill Clinton had called Texas a “must -win,” and the victory for the former First Lady was her first after 11 straight losses to Sen. Obama. After the Texas win, Sen. Clinton said afterward that “this campaign has turned a corner,” and that support from Latino voters was essential to her comeback.

With Latinos now comprising nearly one of every four Texas registered voters (24%), Latino voters are poised to play a key role in this years’ primary and general elections. As noted below, redistricting is providing the Latino community with greater opportunities to obtain fair representation in some parts of the state, and political observers will be watching the results of Congressional and state elections to gauge the impact of the Latino electorate.

Texas’ Latino Population and Redistricting Between 2000 and 2010, Texas’ population grew from 20.9 million to 25.1 million, an increase of 20.6%. During the same period, the Latino population grew from 6.7 million to 9.5 million, an increase of 41.8%.

TEXAS POPULATION GROWTH: 2000-2010
After the 2010 reapportionment, Texas gained four additional Congressional seats, the most of any state. Latinos accounted for nearly two-thirds (65%) of Texas’ growth since 2000, and the Latino population increase was largely responsible for the state’s Congressional gains.

The new Congressional and state legislative maps initially adopted by the Texas state legislature in 2011 became the subject of  protracted litigation, partly because the maps failed to comply with provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) which provides protection against redistrictings that discriminate against the Latino community. Under Section 5 of the VRA, Texas’ maps must receive federal approval before they can go into effect. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opposed the maps, because the DOJ believed they were enacted with an intentionally discriminatory purpose and failed to reflect the significant Latino growth in the state. In February 2012, a federal court in San Antonio released interim maps that will be used for the 2012 elections. These maps must still receive approval from either the DOJ or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columba before they become the final maps for the decade, and there may be further changes to the interim maps.

The interim Congressional map creates two new districts where Latinos will have a strong opportunity to elect the candidates of their choice (“opportunity districts”). One is Congressional district 33 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the other is Congressional district 35, which runs from Austin to San Antonio. Some advocates have expressed concerns about the interim House of Representatives map, because they feel it does not create enough new opportunity districts in the state. These advocates believe that the map provides for 34 Latino opportunity districts, but fails to create an additional opportunity district in the Nueces County area.

Sources
NALEO Educational Fund, 2011 National Directory of Latino Elected Officials.
This report uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-year estimates, and the 2010 Census Summary File 1. The ACS is conducted every year and is an on-going survey of a sample of the population which produces estimates of various population characteristics. The 2010 Census provides data from the official count of the entire population that is conducted every 10 years. Differences in the two data sources’ universes, reference periods, and the way in which the data are tabulated may affect the comparability of data from the sources.
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Voting and Registration in the Elections of November: 2000-2008. The CPS data used in this report and the survey from which they are derived are subject to certain limitations. First, actual voter turnout and registration may be overestimated by the CPS, because individuals may tend to over-report electoral participation.
Additionally, the CPS is a national survey, and estimates derived for smaller sub-groups within the national population may be based on relatively small sample sizes. Consequently, the margin of error associated with estimates of voting and registration for these sub-groups is greater than the margin associated with the national population or larger population sub-groups.
The Latino vote projections were derived by taking the Latino vote in 2008, and increasing it by the average of the perecentage change in the Latino vote for the last three presidential elections. The Latino vote in the last three presidential elections is from Voting and Registration in the Elections of November: 2000-2008. Because these projections are based solely on past voting trends, they are conservative estimates that do not take into account the potential increase in Latino turnout that could result from the growth in Latino naturalizations, more robust voter engagement efforts, or other factors.
2012 NGP Voter Activation Network voter file data, May 2012.

A REPORT OF THE NALEO EDUCATIONAL FUND: The nation’s leading non-profit organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

Utterly Remarkable Mexican Movie Posters, via 50 Watts

click to enlarge

SOURCE: http://50watts.com/filter/mexico/El-Tren-Expreso

This post first appeared in the textmex galleryblog.

William Anthony Nericcio, aka “Memo,” is the Director of San Diego State University’s ever-evolving MALAS program(The Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences)–a dynamic, interdisciplinary, cultural studies graduate program located near the U.S./Mexico border. Nericcio also serves on the faculties of theChicana/o Studies Department, theCenter for Latin American Studiesand the Department of English and Comparative Literature at SDSU.