Hilda Solis has been selected to serve as Secretary of Labor

Democratic Congresswoman Hilda Solis of California will be Barack Obama‘s pick for labor secretary as the president-elect fills the last open positions in his Cabinet, a labor official told The Associated Press on Thursday. Hilda Solis is the first Latina that has been selected to serve on Barack Obama’s cabinet. Solis, is the daughter of [...]

Ken Salazar Selected as Secretary of the Interior

President-elect Barack Obama has named Colorado Senator Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior. The appointment rounds out Obama’s environment and energy team. Salazar is a first-term Colorado Senator who has established a name for himself on public lands and energy resources issues. He headed the Colorado Natural Resources Department from 1990 through 1994. The [...]

Latino Immigrants and their Familes Suffering in the Midst of the Economic Crisis

While unemployment affects all segments of the population, legal and undocumented Latino workers have been particularly hard hit. The Hispanic unemployment rate hit 8.8 percent in October, outpacing the national figure of 6.5 percent. The rising joblessness coincides with slowing remittance rates, delivering another blow to Latin American economies. These economies both depend heavily on [...]

Latino Students are Falling Behind in Education

A new study finds that Latinos face financial challenges when attending college, organizations like The Hispanic College Fund are providing much needed assistance. … A new report by the College Board, titled “Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future,” provided a sobering assessment of the country’s educational attainment. Specifically, the report revealed some [...]

Another Victim of Hate

In July of this year, Luis Ramirez was beaten to death by a gang in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. In August, a Staten Island man rammed his vehicle into the storefronts of three Latino merchants. Last month, a gang hunted down and stabbed Marcelo Lucero to death in Patchogue, Long Island. This list of hate attacks continues [...]

Hilda Solis Joins the Race for Democratic Leadership Post

The Hill newspaper is reporting that Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) strongly is considering a bid for the Democratic Caucus Vice Chairmanship if the position becomes available with the departure of Congressman Xavier Becerra. The job will open up if he becomes U.S. Trade Representative. As reported in La Plaza, Becerra met with President-elect Obama last [...]

In Tennessee, Immigrants Use the Justice System to Fight Discrimination

For Enrique Bautista, a turning point came last year at a Franklin, Tennessee driver’s license office. A worker took his Tennessee issued ID and U.S. government issued green card and disappeared for twenty minutes. When she came back, she said she’d be keeping the documents on suspicion they were fake. Bautista, a legal permanent resident, [...]

National Latino Congreso Urges the President-Elect to Include more Latinos in his Administration

Earlier this week, the National Latino Congreso (NLC) presented a list of qualified Latinos to fulfill key positions in President- Elect Obama’s Cabinet to top transition team officials. The NLC applauded the selection of Governor Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce, but reminded the President-Elect’s team, “that the past administrations have had several 2-3 Latinos [...]

Congressman Becerra Meets with Obama to Discuss USTR Position

The Washington Post is now reporting that, Congressman Becerra is in Chicago today to meet with President-Elect Barack Obama to discuss the job of USTR. According to knowledgeable sources, Becerra, has “clearly been thinking it over,” in recent days, but has raised concerns about leaving the House and about whether to move his family to [...]

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Sends a Letter to the President-Elect

In a letter sent to the Obama transition team late Tuesday, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus formally asked President-Elect Obama to consider a number of Hispanic legislators for his Cabinet. The members of Congress whom the CHC is supporting include Congressman John Salazar (D-CO) for Secretary of Agriculture, Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) for Secretary of Education, Raul [...]

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