The need to increase leadership and empowerment among members of the Latino community is matter of constant action and concern for Latino leaders from all walks of life and across the country. One particular concern is related to the lack of political representation of Latinos in federal, state and local governments.
So when one of our own reaches a position of power, it is desirable that he or she portrays the values that our community cherishes and embraces.
Beyond his political position and party, the disturbing behavior of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz –considering the type of damage his actions caused to the people of this country– is worth to analyze under the lens of a cultural approach, given his Latino origin.
As a community, Latinos have made incredible advances in political and economic power. Not only we represent the largest minority in the country with over 55 million Hispanics but the Latino vote also defined the last presidential elections of Republican President Bush and Democrat President Obama.
However, much still has to be accomplished regarding political representation of Latinos. Despite that we have gained eight new members in Congress in the last election -three in the Senate and 28 in the House-, we still lag behind the number we need to make our voices heard.
What are those values that define us who we are as a people, those characteristics that can catapult us to the leadership positions we deserve while making important contributions to the American society?
For the full story: voxxi.com/2013/10/17/ted-cruz-damaging-latino-brand/
Photo: watchdog.org