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January 2010
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Fri, 01/08/2010 - 13:43 — admin
In this issue:
Great things are happening for NHMC in Washington, DC, where we serve as the voice of the Latino community on media and telecommunications issues.
Earlier this month NHMC submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the issue of network neutrality (for more details please see our "Media Policy Watch"). To our delight, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn publicly commended us for our advocacy in her speech at the Minority Media and Telecommunication Council's Broadband and Social Justice Summit, quoting directly from our comments. That same day, NHMC's Policy Counsel, Jessica Gonzalez, blogged about the issue on latinovations.com
. With this work grows NHMC's visibility and influence, as we continue to address the issues that affect the success of our community.
The 13th Annual Impact Awards Gala will take place on Friday, February 26, 2010 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Confirmed honorees this year include Oscar Nunez of "The Office" and Rico Rodriguez of "Modern Family."
The Impact Awards Gala celebrates outstanding, theatrical, television and film performances by Latinos both in front and back of camera and also recognizes outstanding service to the Latino Community. The annual black-tie event will once again attract the best and the brightest from throughout the entertainment industry. For more information or to purchase tickets please contact our office at (626) 792-6462.
As a partner in the Coalition to Abolish Slavery (CAST), NHMC participated its January 11th press conference that launched the "From Slavery to Freedom" annual campaign.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about modern-day slavery and human trafficking, to encourage victims to seek help by assuring them that they will not be treated as criminals and to instigate a national movement to exterminate slavery and human trafficking
Monday January 11th was named National Awareness Day of Human Trafficking and marked the beginning of the month-long campaign. The press conference was held at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Amongst the media crew and crowd of supporters was Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, representatives of the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement officers and members of collaborating NGOs and faith-based groups.
Kay Buck, CAST's Executive Director, stated that there are 27 million slaves in the world today and that as many as 50,000 are trafficked into U.S. every year and held for sexual exploitation or forced labor. Survivors of human trafficking shared their stories in an attempt to inform the public of the horrors of trafficking and to assure other victims that there is help out there. The event concluded with the unveiling of Guillermo Bert's mural on human trafficking that was dedicated to the victims. For more information on CAST's "From Slavery to Freedom" campaign, please visit
This year's census day is on April 1. The forms will start arriving at our homes at the beginning of March. The census is one of the most important tools that we have to improve and strengthen our communities in aspects such as education, political representation, economic development, healthcare, etc.
Among others, campaigns such as Ya es hora Hagase Contar! www.yaeshora.info, Hazte Contar, MALDEF- Cuentate porque tu vales www.maldef.org
, and Cuenta Conmigo encourage Latino families to participate in the census by educating them about its importance. They provide resources such as bilingual hot-lines and workshops, and work directly with members of our communities to help them complete the forms. As Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF said, "The 2010 Census will shape the nation for the next decade, determining political representation as well as the availability of important government services. Being counted is critical to the future progress of the Latino Community." For more information on the Census campaigns, please visit their websites.
For the past year NHMC has been working with immigration reform advocates to engage with mainstream media in a dialogue on the importance of getting the facts straight on the issue. With the support of a recent grant from the Four Freedoms Fund, NHMC will facilitate relationship-building between Spanish-language media and the immigration rights movements, specifically around the campaign for comprehensive immigration reform and anti-hate work.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform should be on everyone's top agenda for 2010. As Congressman Gutierrez recently stated in an opinion editorial published in HuffPost Social News: "But if we walk away from the tough fights --like immigration reform-- because it's hard or because it's politically risky, we're not just writing our own political eulogy; we're sentencing millions of families to a life of injustice."
All of us can make a difference in this political discussion by becoming engaged, we must take a stand as Congressman Gutierrez states and not walk away because it is a tough fight. Join the Justice/Justicia text campaign by texting "Justice" or "Justicia" to 69866. You'll receive a response asking for your zip code - it's very important that you send it in so we can properly match them to your Members of Congress and then stay tuned for the text messages that will follow and take action.
In December Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced a bill for comprehensive immigration reform, HR 4321. While NHMC commends the Congressman for broaching this important issue, we also fear that hate crimes will proliferate as they did in 2006 when violent rhetoric surrounded the immigration debate on mainstream media. NHMC will continue to push the government to collect information on the correlation of hate speech and hate crimes, and will increase efforts to inform the public of the need for tolerance.
How you can help: Call your Senators and Representative and ask them to send letters to the FCC and NTIA requesting that the agencies take action on NHMC's requests. You can also write directly to the FCC and the NTIA to express your concerns about the relationship between hate speech in media and the violent rise in hate crimes against Latinos.
Letters to the FCC should be addressed to: Mr. Julius Genachowski, Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street SW Washington, DC 20554 Letters to the NTIA should be addressed to:
It has been a year since President Obama's inauguration, and most of his appointees have been confirmed by the Senate. Many in the Latino community have been pleased with the President's efforts to appoint Latinos to the judiciary and the administrative agencies, but have these appointments solved the crisis reported in the Equal Employment Opportunity Office's (EEOC) October 2008 report, The Hispanic Employment Challenge in the Federal Government? (available at
). That report documented that Hispanic employment within the federal government is disproportionate to the Hispanic population, and is lacking in most of the federal agencies, especially in "mission-critical" jobs (indeed, in 2008 only 7.9% of all federal agency employees were Latino despite that Latinos make up over 15% of the population). According to the EEOC's 2008 Fiscal Year Report (available at EEOC
), two of the agencies with which NHMC commonly deals, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, were highly deficient in employing Hispanics in high-ranking positions. 3.58% of the FCC's 1,822 employees were Latino, and only 2.27% of Latinos at the FCC were at senior pay levels. Latinos made up 0% of first-level and mid-level officials and managers, and only 2.01% of senior-level officials and managers. Only 3.46% of the FTC's 1,122 employees were Latino. Latinos made up 0% of senior and first level managers and officials, and only 4.8% of mid-level managers and officials.
There is no specific data on the third agency with which NHMC often works, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, as it is an agency within the Department of Commerce. However, the trends found at the other two agencies were also present at the Department of Commerce; whether these trends were imputed to the NTIA are unknown, but likely. We know that of 42,661 employees at the Department of Commerce, that 3.87% were Hispanic, that Hispanics comprised 7.74% of first-level officials and managers, 4.13% of mid-level officials and managers, and 2.61% of senior-level officials and managers.
The EEOC's 2009 report is yet to be released; when it is NHMC will examine whether the Obama Administration has improved these dismal numbers over the past year.
Click here
to read our Media Policy Watch Update.
NHMC Welcomes New Communications Coordinator
 NHMC began 2010 with a new addition to the team. Tatiana Arizaga will serve as the new Communications Coordinator and will be based in our Pasadena office. She is a recent graduate from the University of San Diego where she obtained her degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Media and Culture. She is looking forward to serving and working with all of you. Please feel free to contact her at tarizaga@nhmc.org.
Writers Program alumni Jason Nieves and Keu Reyes bring "LATINO 101", an irreverent new comedic 13-episode series examining Latino life, to SiTV starting this month. Edgy and unapologetic, LATINO 101 whose tagline is "The Class You Never Took", addresses longtime beliefs and stereotypes about Latinos head-on.
Jason Nieves and Keu Reyes, the creators & executive producers, showcase an unprecedented collection of Latino entertainers who provide humorous and insightful observations on a specific topic each week, ranging from Politics to Music to Religion. "Scrubs" star Judy Reyes, "Dexter" star David Zayas, Ruperto Vanderpool, "Latin King of Comedy" Joey Medina, and Sandra Valls are among the over 40 comedians, actors, writers,and musicians who comprise television's most impressive stable of Latino pundits. The show also appeals to a mainstream audience by having non-Latinos, such as comedians Godfrey and Andrew Norelli, give their take and opinions on Latino life.The show, shot in HD and on greenscreen, is unlike other greenscreen based shows because it is the first in which special effects also interact with the commentators.
Creator Nieves and Reyes say, "We're proud of this show because it is comedically, visually, and intellectually original. This show breaks new ground. It has Latinos and non-Latinos discuss Latin culture in smart yet funny ways that have never been seen on television before. It's a 'laugh with us' not a 'laugh at us' show, and in this current socio-political landscape, a show like this is more relevant than eve."
Jason Nieves was a head writer for LATV's "The Homies Show", an NBC Writers On The Verge Writing Program fellow, and a writer for NBC/Universal's Diversity Scene Showcase.Keu Reyes is the creator of the Imagen award nominated animated program "Ceasar & Chuy", a standup comedian, and a film festival circuit winner.
Both men acknowledge the NHMC's influence on how they work, "Just like the coalition, we stress the importance of hiring Latino talent in front of and behind the camera. We want to open doors and show Latinos in new and exciting lights."
LATINO 101 premiered on January 8 and new episodes are every Friday at 9PM ET/PT on SiTV. For more information, go to www.sitv.com/latino101 or contact Jason Nieves at jasonnieves@yahoo.com or Keu Reyes at keu@artisitcwarfare.com .
Connecticut's Executive Branch has cut $12.9 million in the budget for the Judicial Branch, forcing the proposed closure of six public courthouse libraries by April and June 2010. Closure of these libraries, especially those in Bridgeport and Hartford, will have a serious negative impact on access to legal information for both cities' large Latino populations. Latinos who cannot afford an attorney and rely on their local public law library to access to the legal materials they need to defend themselves in court will be disenfranchised as they may lack transportation options to travel to a distant public law library.
The American Association of Law Libraries and the Southern New England Law Librarians Association (SNELLA), are sponsoring online petitions to save the courthouse libraries in Bridgeport, Hartford, Litchfield, Milford, and Norwich. We need the help of the Latino community to join our efforts and sign the petitions. If we do not stop these proposed closures, Latinos will be deprived of local access to current and historic legal materials, as well as the knowledge and expertise of professional law librarians.
The petitions are open to all residents of Connecticut. Please help spread the word to the Latino community in Connecticut so that our efforts are successful in quickly getting as many signatures as possible to keep these public law libraries open and staffed.
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e Immigration Reform
