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# What is a Latino Politician?
June 08 2015
Written by Fred Mariscal.
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LATINO VOICE-How do you define what a Latino politician is? Are they themselves Latino? Or do they represent other Latinos? This is an important distinction to make.
NBC Senior Writer Suzanne Gamboa raised the question in this week’s article about whether someone can be a Latino politician if he or she doesn’t speak Spanish? The piece is a response to questions about the viability of Julian Castro, former San Antonio mayor (photo) and current housing secretary, as Clinton’s running mate and his ef fectiveness in courting the Latino vote. If Latino politicians like Castro are classifying themselves as Latino, then yes, but if they are expected to represent an entire group, then the question becomes murkier. Wouldn’t the best advocate for a group have the ability to fluently communicate with all its members?
You must speak Spanish or Portuguese to become a Latin American historian for the simple reason that to understand the intricacies of what you are researching, you need to understand the language.
In history, information that is filtered through a go-between is called a secondary source and is less reliable than an opinion formed through your own reasoning of original documents. That’s not to say that a politician must fully understand every topic to form an opinion, but an individual identifying themselves as an expert on economics would be expected to understand deep economic and mathematical theory.
Julian Castro and other Latinos that do not fluently speak Spanish are part of a greater cultural tapestry, particularly since the number of second, third, and later generations is growing, but it will be more difficult for politicians like him to connect with a significant portion of the population. Having a fluency in Spanish gives you a better understanding of the identity politics spanning the various cultures across Latin America and within our own borders – if they present themselves as representatives for all Latinos, they would best present that groups’ positions as a fluent Spanish speaker.
It’s true when Gamboa argues English takes over as time passes for Latinos and other immigrant groups. She brought to our attention that The Pew Research Center reported a record 33.2 million Hispanics speak English proficiently while the share who speak Spanish at home is the lowest it's been in 13 years. The numbers show Latinos with English as a primary language are increasing, and so the necessity of politicians to speak Spanish fluently will decline.
But as of now, Julian Castro’s lacks the connection to the Spanish language, and many resulting aspects of Latin culture. I’m not saying he wouldn’t be a good Vice Presidential candidate, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t bring out Latinos to the polls as many are hoping.
*(Fred Mariscal came to Los Angeles from Mexico City in 1992 to study at the University of Southern California and has been in LA ever since. He is a community leader who serves as Vice Chair of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition and sits on the board of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council representing Larchmont Village. He was a candidate for Los Angeles City Council in District 4. Fred writes Latino Perspective for CityWatch and can be reached at: )*
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 47
Pub: Jun 9, 2015
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