This week we had the privilege, once again, to be part of the Latino Political Summit—an annual meeting organized by the Latino Victory Project. It coincided with that of the BOLD Political Action Committee, an organization focused on increasing diversity in the parliamentary representation. The Summit, hosted, to emphasize its message, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was attended by the largest delegation of representatives the Isla del Encanto (or Enchanting Island) has ever seen; the mayors and governor of Puerto Rico; leaders of the Democratic Party and progressive organizations; environmentalists; and opinion influencers, such as chef José Andrés and actor, composer and creator of the “Hamilton” musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Among the participants was Julián Castro, the charismatic former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of the Obama administration. This was his first stop after announcing, two days earlier in the Guadalupe Plaza at the city of San Antonio, his candidacy for the Democratic presidential primaries.
Three signs of strength in the Latino community
We highlight three chief takeaways from this week. In the first place, the representatives conducted an in-depth evaluation, in situ, to confirm there is still much to do for the reconstruction of Puerto Rico. Not only in matters of infrastructure, services, and assistance for vulnerable citizens—who are exposed to difficulties after the devastating effects of the hurricanes than hit the island—; but also for the economic future and development model of Puerto Rico, which continue to present uncertainties that pose a profound revision of its current territorial political status.
Yet the meeting in San Juan became circumstantially important for another reason. Not satisfied with the disgrace and poor treatment towards Puerto Ricans, to whom Trump has denied US citizen rights, he now proposed, amidst a federal government shutdown, the idea of going over Congress and declaring a national emergency to build the wall on the Mexican border. This way, it turns out, the funding for the wall would come from disaster-relief funds that should be going towards investments in the reconstruction of Puerto Rico, since it is a part of the country that was affected by natural disasters (which is an actual emergency that his government has not attended adequately to this day). In short, the presence of the US Hispanic leadership in San Juan served to denounce that Mexico will not be paying for Trump’s wall, like he promised, but perhaps, painfully, Puerto Rico could end up paying for it, if Trump’s absurdity advances.
The second takeaway revolves around the road for the 2020 elections. Puerto Rico emerges in this arena like a singular powerful tool in the fight towards defeating Donald Trump. Not because Puerto Ricans in the island can vote in presidential elections (which they cannot), but because its diaspora—which doubles the island’s population—resides in the continental US, where they do have the right to vote. By comparing the electoral experience of 2016 and 2018, it is evident that not only have the progressive leaders and Democratic Party managed to connect with the Puerto Rican majorities, but also that its electoral registration and participation improved remarkably in the last elections, even if there is more to achieve in that objective. It is interesting to note that the Puerto Rican diaspora in the US is located in New York and Orlando, Florida, as well as in a significant community in Fort Worth, Texas, and new and growing enclaves in Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Allentown, in Pennsylvania. The congregation in the latter state is fundamental: these three places amass a Puerto Rican population that, if mobilized to vote against Trump, would seal the return of Pennsylvania to the list of traditionally-Democrat states, which would make it impossible for Trump to win with the Electoral College, even if he wins in Florida. On its own, the new Puerto Rican population residing in Pennsylvania far exceeds the minimal difference in votes that Trump obtained in 2016 to rise unexpectedly in that state.
Thirdly, Julián Castro’s presence in San Juan, immediately after beginning his campaign, adds Puerto Rico as a priority to the Hispanic agenda. Who is, beyond the offices he has held, this young politician from San Antonio? Julián Castro is the grandson of a Mexican immigrant of humble origins who, like he said in his presidential campaign announcement, did not have her own house and cleaned other people’s houses to ensure that her daughter and grandchildren could progress in the US. Castro’s mother is an education. Julián’s mother then became (like her “gemelos”) the living proof of the social advance of this immigrant family. Julian and Joaquin’s mother became a teacher, and and a fearless civil right organizer.
Introducing Julián Castro
From this brave lineage, tempered by tenacious and honest work, the twins Julián and Joaquín were born, and raised by their mother and grandmother. The brother, Joaquín, is one of the leaders of the Hispanic Caucus in the US Congress. And both constitute an iconic binomial in the Democratic Party. The two studied with scholarships and a lot of effort at the prestigious Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Julián received national attention at the Democratic Convention that nominated Obama for re-election in 2012, where he was a keynote speaker and delivered a speech so inspiring that it is still remembered as one of the most important milestones of the Latino movement and Obama’s presidential campaign, which, with Julián Castro’s backing, attracted an impressive support of the Hispanic vote in his election and re-election.
As a member in Obama’s Cabinet, Julián Castro’s management in terms of access to housing and solving the crisis that affected millions of families, in the 2008 Great Recession, is recognized nationally. In fact, Castro is credited with important victories in a battle against vestiges of racism, exclusion, and discrimination in affordable housing communities; and also stands out for his strategies to improve the services and the habitat of these communities throughout the country. Due to his image and career, Julián Castro was one of the leaders included in Hillary Clinton’s short list for Vicepresidential nomination. Since then, he has toured the country supporting congressional candidates—a national presence that allowed him to aspire to the Presidency.
Julián Castro’s candidacy is the second official announcement (after that of the Senator representing Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren) for the primaries that could have more than ten contenders—according to the first polls, former Vice President Joe Biden is at the favorite among the group. Naturally, Castro is looking to position himself in the Hispanic space as his point of departure, a solid base for any national project. And, with his first steps, he has demonstrated that he will amplify and make visible the drama that Puerto Rico is experiencing, together with other priority issues for the US Latino community. There is speculation on another Latino candidate, the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, could join the race for the primaries. For now, Julián Castro, beyond his chances of victory, will fight to raise the issues that galvanize the Latino vote to the level of political priority in the Democratic Party electoral platform. Even in terms of foreign policy, he has presented two central ideas: renew the commitment of the US with its European allies, and promote new strategic alliances with Latin America.
The analyst and pollster Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions, one of the most reputable firms in the US, explained to the press that Julián Castro’s support should only increase as more people come to know him, in the current circumstances. Without a doubt, his candidacy has brought a breath a fresh air, particularly in the historical conjuncture in which the Latino and immigrant communities feel under systematic attack by the government, whose rhetoric revived dangerous outbreaks of xenophobia and racism.
Para español lea Al Navío: 3 elementos que demuestran la fuerza del poder latino en EEUU