Latinos take three steps forward, one step back in 2007 by Valerie Menard

As the year comes to a close, the old adage about how time flies remains true, whether or not you’re having fun. Latinos experienced several highs and lows in 2007, but the best news was that our emerging political awakening, spurred last year by immigration rallies, continued to progress.

photo © Ralitza Soultanova -
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The year began on a wrong note when documentary filmmaker Ken Burns opted not to include the stories of Latino veterans in his epic World War II documentary, The War, scheduled to air in September on PBS. Protests from Latino veterans, Latino elected officials and civil rights and academic groups eventually changed his mind, proving once again that when Latinos work together, positive change is possible. As of this writing, fingers remain crossed that Burns did indeed incorporate Latino stories and did not just tack them on after each episode. Even if he didn’t honor his pledge, he—and many future filmmakers—will not be so quick to brush off historical accuracy, and Latino stories, when it comes to telling the history of this great country.

This year also saw the first Latino presidential candidate, Bill Richardson, enter the race. He may not be the most popular choice at the moment, but he has represented Latino issues and concerns throughout the campaign, forcing his fellow candidates to work harder to get to know and impress Latino voters. On the down side, Republican candidates campaigned full force with anti-immigrant rhetoric to appeal to the lowest common denominator in their constituency.

The first Latino attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, finally put us all out of his misery and agreed to resign his post. Latino trailblazers bear exceptional pressures to excel so when any fail, we all feel it. However, Gonzales’s toadying provided a more poignant example of what not to do when given the auspicious opportunity of breaking new ground for the Latino community.

At the other end of the spectrum was Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant and single mom who sought sanctuary in a church in Chicago in order to remain here and not be separated from her son, a U.S. citizen, as U.S. immigration policy would require. In a bold and brave move, she came out of hiding in order to expose the law’s inhumanity, challenging the government to deport her back to Mexico. The government complied, but hopefully legislation to correct this loophole will be forthcoming.

As a presidential election year, 2008 holds the promise of great opportunity for progress. More than ever, Latinos must continue to work together to produce candidates from both parties who will honor the ideals of democracy and seek to meet the needs of the many rather than the wants of the few.