My introduction to Latino Issues at USHLI

By Victor Alatorre
Two years ago, I had the pleasure of attending the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute in Chicago IL.  Attending the USHLI was as a very rewarding experience for me. I attended the event 20 years ago during my freshman year at UW Oshkosh. It was a good refresher for my memories of what happened 20 years ago. The experience allowed me to recap the changes to my perceptions and values.

The memories of the event 20 years ago were few, however I remember how I felt and what I perceived (inclusive of self-perception), more than what I was listening to or understanding. Those struggles related to language and cultural differences.

My ability to communicate and immerse into the conversation of the Latino struggle of 1991 was difficult. I didn’t understand it, but I was just starting to experience what it was to be Mexican in America. I had been in the US for only a year or so, so I had many personal challenges related to missing home, my family, my culture, etc. I had a hard time understanding why there were Mexican kids that look like me, but didn’t speak Spanish.

I was experiencing a painful transformation and immersion into the new reality. Back in Mexico I never understood or experience the concept of being ethnically different. I knew the concept of being the heavy set kid, the concept of living in poverty due to my parents divorce, but never living based on the concept of ethnicity. No one ever identified me as Mexican or foreign. It was until my sophomore year that I understood that some people didn’t like my patriotism represented by a Mexican flag taped on the window of my residence hall, my ethnic music, and my perceived language limitations. I was the only native Mexican student in Fletcher Hall in the fall of 1991. Other students of Hispanic origin didn’t speak like me or identified themselves as having the same challenges, etc. And, like many of the speakers of this year’s conference, I experience my first racist remark by a kid living in my hall; I learned the meaning of the term: “beaner”. Which was used by my next-door neighbor as a response to my Mexican flag posting on my door/window. I have a picture of that same Mexican flag next to the US flag I received when I became a US citizen last year.

Despite the struggles; I continue to appreciate the blessings my experiences living in the US have given me. During my experience at UW Oshkosh, I became the president of an all-white fraternity. Only a few years before, I had been warned (by other international students) to stay away from the fraternity house in the corner of Algoma and Wisconsin across campus. I had no money, thus a job was necessary. My first job in the minority lab under the division of academic support allowed me access to further opportunities at the Department of Residence Life, Management Information Office. I was promoted several times and eventually became the Coordinator-Manager of a very successful Residential Computing Office and also one of the Assistant Directors of Residence Life.

20 years later

The USHLI conference is held annually in Chicago and organized by a prestigious group of Hispanic Leaders. Dr. Juan Andrade is the sponsor, promoter and organizer of this event every year. Cultural, economical and leadership topics are presented through 3 days of workshops and forums. There seems to be tracks that are not identified but seem to be: professional development for high school students planning to attend college, college students planning to graduate. With activism in the areas of: immigration, Latino rights, collective bargain, the historical legacies of Hispanics, and acknowledgement of the rising stars of the Latino communities throughout the US. I was hoping to see more information on student development and advising and/or how to retain and further the path for Hispanic students.

Other observations:

I believe in a humble approach to leadership, but I got a sense that the organizers believe they are providing the participants an amazing opportunity by allowing them to be in the presence of very successful Latinos (as). I believe Dr Andrade applies a very top down (old school) approach to Hispanic leadership. The struggles of the generations are very different. The Mexican American generation of Dr Andrade struggled with blatant racism and lack of opportunities in professional environments, hence the emphasis on the work of Cesar Chavez, Unions and (us vs. them) approach.

http://www.wolfmanproductions.com/andrade.html

We could spend a great deal of energy pointing out many situations where racism had an impact on the participants, but I believe a better approach is to look at the commonalities between Hispanic students and their counterparts. While I appreciate Dr Andrade’s contributions to Hispanic leadership, I’m not sure the USHLI operates like other professional conferences.

The first breakfast (the labor unity breakfast session) had a folk guitar player that spoke/sang about the struggle of migrant workers throughout the Midwest. I enjoyed his songs and the undercurrent of humor, but the stories were not pleasant. There was a sense of indoctrination for a struggle that the participants didn’t experience in their own skin. Do I fail to appreciate the Latino struggle? No. My grandfather was a Mexican immigrant requisition prior to World War II, so I’m sure he would have enjoyed the old school songs of protest. But I’m not sure many in the room understood what the activism of the Mexican migrant struggle was about in the 50s and 60s. I wish there was a historical unbiased context of the presentations, but none were provided.

The current generation struggles with ongoing identity issues of “Hispanidad”. Hispanic Students recognize the ongoing opportunities vested on them by their parent’s effort for education and living standards but they struggle with the burden presented by our culture and their mix identity. How can we become more American or more Hispanic since the internal perceptions-of-self are somewhere in the middle? To outsiders, most of us, look Mexican, Puerto Rican or Cuban, but our value system is very much American and mainstream. I have heard my US born Mexican cousins talked about the internal struggle of identity. Two of them have said to me in different occasions (jokingly) that they feel like they are Americans trapped in Mexican Bodies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanidad

Sponsorship

The conference has big sponsors thus they are constantly reminding the attendees of the generosity provided by companies like Miller Coors, Southwest Airlines, Verizon, University of Phoenix, etc. While I understand every conference needs the resources provided by sponsors, it became very noticeable and very intrusive (more so than any other event I have participated in the past). Every napkin and every meal had a verbal reminder of who the providers had been. I noticed that free alcohol was provided during the socials and dances. Despite the enforcement of drinking laws, it set a poor precedent knowing that many Hispanics struggle with alcoholism. If this is a leadership conference, why do we allow external marketing forces to use alcohol as a marketing tool?

Dinner Dynamics

There were very long dinners (2 hour+) that served a dual purpose of recognizing US Hispanic leaders, while allowing them to share their philosophies, struggles and outlook of the future. Some of their speeches were very useful; nevertheless I wish we could have been given the chance to opt out from some of the self-proclamations of excellence. There were too many political agendas intermingled with encouragement and recognition of the contributions of the Hispanic echelon.

The dinners had a “Hispanic” family atmosphere… I can’t find any other analogy to describe the interaction between the organizer and the students attending the event. It was like going to your grandpa’s house for dinner and having your grandpa talked about his struggles and successes. If you listened to him you were rewarded with a gift or a memento of the event. But conference organizers demanded the respect of the family in a very direct way by asking coordinators to silence people that were talking with a room full of people. There had to be over a thousand people sitting in the conference room for every meal and service was slow. While one side of the room was finishing dinner, the other side was just starting, so complete silence was impossible.

Presentations Our Struggle, Our Strength

Dr David Camacho was an assistant to the Chancellor at Northern Arizona University (he was very proud of that fact). His experience and presentation were “a little” disorganized and carried emotional baggage from the struggle of Chicano Culture in the Southwest in the 1960s. He used the reference of historical factoids (like the independence from Spain, the fragmentation of Mexico, etc) to instigate activism through his experience in Northern Arizona. He was very proud of his path to leadership (or assistance to the leadership) and his struggle, and seemed to have something to offer, but the ideas were lost in the mix. At some point in my life, I have been indoctrinated into believing that California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and “Tejas” were taken from us. Some believe that if the southwest belonged to Mexico, my homeland would have been a larger wealthier place. The truth is that the perceived wealth of the southwest is the byproduct of many generations of people coming from all over the World and US. Sadly I believe that the “decadence” of the Northwestern part of my homeland would have been pushed farther north.

Honorable Ricardo Muñoz, District 2 in Chicago (Speaker)
Talked about the union issues in Wisconsin. He welcomed the students and talked about his political career and the upcoming election. Encourage people to vote and to hold politicians accountable for their actions.

Ms Esther Lopez (Speaker)
Director Civil Rights and Community Action spoke about labor issues and the attack on unions and civil liberties protected through collective bargaining. Among the many words of wisdom, she kept saying that: “If you are going to be an effective leader; you better know who you are”. So Self-awareness is an important element of her advise. She also used the statement: “Leadership know thy self”. So nothing new here… Her inspiration words came from mainstream ideas on leadership. She spoke about elements of our common history. After her motivational speaking, I wanted to go and punch someone, but I didn’t know whom or why. :)

Other thoughts

• Humble yourself through teamwork: So, be a team player because your success depends on your ability to lead your team.
• Evolving Leadership: You need to create a team to constantly evaluate the strategy. Don’t surround yourself of people that agree with all your wishes and ideas.
• Responsibility of Leadership Be a benevolent leader. A sense of utilitarianism.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism
• Self-Deprecation: Have the ability to laugh at even yourself.
• Leadership is a team effort: Let others to lead; share the glory as well as the pain.

National Issues Forum 1: The impact of anti-Latino public policies on Latino voting behavior.

The round table provided good Information on the struggles of Hispanics in various states. The economy and the impact the shift of power is having with anti-immigration laws in Arizona (SP 270), Indiana (SP 590), Nebraska, etc.

The following individuals were able to present their perceptions and opinions on the struggles on the States they represent.

Hon Kelvin Roldan Rep 4th district from the State of Connecticut: had not much to share about his struggle in Connecticut. His presentation was very academic and seemed to approach political activism through a more subtle approach. I’m not sure I understood his position on what was happening in the State of Connecticut other than he seemed grateful to be a Hispanic District Representative. The other reps kind of made fun of him by calling him “Professor”.

Hon Crisanta Duran Rep 5th district from the State of Colorado: not much was shared by her other than Colorado is currently experiencing a lack of Hispanic leadership and representation due to the absence of former Colorado Senator Ken Salazar, now the Secretary of the Interior for Obama. She rightfully claims to be like many other Mexican Americans in the US, the product of many generations of Mexican Americans living within the geography of the US prior to the foundation of the US territory as we know it. She stated that: “She didn’t cross the border, the border crossed her”. At some point, I take issue with the statement because it comes off (to border crossing Mexicans like myself) as elitist… The other ones that look like me are the ones that crossed the border (not me).

Hon Ruben Gallego Rep 16ht district from the State of Arizona: a Marine and Harvard graduate talked about how the retirees rule the anti-immigration sentiment in Arizona. He talked about his experiences when he was going door-to-door and getting doors slammed in his face. It was not a matter of skin color, but cultural shifts experienced in the southwest.

Hon Mara Candelaria Reardon Rep 12th district State of Indiana: The one and only Hispanic woman representing in the state of Indiana. She talked about the struggles of Hispanic women that do not look like traditional Hispanic women. How constituents and peers say the most inappropriate things because they do not know she is Hispanic

Hon John Haroldson District Attorney, Benton County, Oregon: a dual citizen that grew up in my hometown (Monterrey) shared his experience dealing with the laws affecting Hispanics in his district. The challenges presented by culture and language. He was often asked why he chose to become a DA instead of a public defender. He stated he wanted to contribute or represent to the fairness of law applied to Hispanics within the realm of the prosecution. I had the opportunity to meet him after the presentation.

http://www.co.benton.or.us/da/haroldson.php

They gave the following opinion on the upcoming challenges:

• The ongoing efforts to redistrict will have an impact on Hispanics throughout the US. It is important that all citizens understand the impact this will have on their representation
• Go vote because mainstream politicians do not understand the impact of the Hispanic vote. They do not fear the Hispanic vote because we tend not to vote.
• Social activism is important, but ultimately Lawyers will take on the issues. Marches and Protests are important visual queues, but ultimately decisions are made within the legislative and judicial branches.
• Many states are looking at banning illegal immigrants from getting in-state tuition.
  (Like it was happening in Wisconsin)

Moctesuma Esparza

http://maya-entertainment.com/about-us

Moctesuma Esparza is the President of Maya Entertainment, a movie media conglomerate that focuses on Hispanic movie productions. His movies, interactions with famous Hispanic artists are well known. He was a good but intense speaker. In my opinion he was also part of that original Hispanic struggle of the 1950s in California. He had very good points about other examples of successful communities like the Jewish people in the US. But he ultimately used that Jewish paradigm of self-protection (Jews seeking business with other Jews) to promote his business. He came with a payload; to encourage the participants to buy and rent the movies he produces. I’m not sure it was necessary for him to make the connection between consumers and his goals as a producer. He belongs to the old guard of Hispanic men that grew up in a time of great segregation.

The Diverse mind using innovative thinking to succeed in a changing nation
Tina K.... (motivational speaker and personal coach)

I went to a coaching presentation by Tina K and Associates. Unfortunately, the title of the presentation didn’t allow me to realize that this was a high school level presentation to encourage Hispanic high school students to attend college. I noticed that her last name was Balderrama, but it was only stated on the USHLI pamphlet. Her corporate presentation didn’t use the last name Balderrama. So I ask to myself: Why did she hide it on the name of her consulting firm? Why was it convenient to make reference to the last name during the presentation, but not in her private enterprise? Her presentation had many overused clichés and thinking exercises, thus I’m not sure I belonged here.

She did talk about the Hispanic scholarship fund.
http://www.hsf.net/
Nina Vaca Recognition Dinner (speaker)

I attended a presentation and speech by Nina Vaca, the CEO of Pinnacle. Her life story was good. I was able to locate a good article about her life. She is the president of a very successful company in Texas. Pinnacle is a custom software developer in Texas. She is the top Hispanic woman leader in the nation. She was very young and good looking and very high energy.  
Her advice came with this payload:

1. A leader is someone that can change minds.
2. Treat people, as they ought to be treated.
3. If you are in control, they are in control.
4. You define you.
5. Showing up is half of the battle.
6. “Dime quienes son tus amigos y te diré quien eres”. Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.
7. Leadership is doing what we say we are going to do.

Note:  The best advice she gave was to “not self-segregate” (which I agree to a point). She also expressed that success is directly related to self-perception. 

National Issues Forum II: With its Different Shades of Red and Blue, what will congress do? Two opposing view: Mr. Juan Williams vs. Sr Ruben Navarrete.

I was looking forward to this presentation because I have read both journalists. I know Juan used to work for NPR but lost his job over “racist” comments made about his nervousness seeing Muslims in planes during his travels. His termination was controversial, but he now works for Fox News. I expected a right wing spin to his comments, but he came off as honest and educated on the topics.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/21/juan-williams-fired-npr_n_770901.html

Ruben Navarrete is a Mexican American, double Harvard graduate, and a syndicated journalist from San Diego. He is a self-proclaimed centrist, but gets a lot of criticism for his opinion on immigration and politics. He approaches the topic of immigration from an economical and political issue, not a cultural one. I get the chance to read his column on CNN every Tuesday.

http://www.rubennavarrette.com/

Both provided their opinion on what is to come with the redistricting based on new census information. It will have an impact on Hispanic’s ability to share their voice to congress. They talked about who was at fault of the failure of the Dream Act. It was interesting to see that Republican voted against it, but more importantly, a handful of democrats voted against it as well. So Hispanics should not be so quick to point out that if it weren’t for the republicans, the bill would have passed.

It was expecting a debate, but it turned into a “mano a mano” of agreements on political posturing shared by both parties. I was happy to be in the presence of people I read often.

Conclusion

Attending the USHLI provided me with a great opportunity for refreshing my perception of multiculturalism and Latino life in the US. I think it gave young people attending a new perspective of what their responsibilities will be and how their political and professional legacy will have an impact on the future of the US. Despite my critical analysis, I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend and experience this important event.