Hispanic Successes Vital to America's Future Prosperity

AUSTIN (Editorial Board, American-Statesman Staff) July 15, 2004 - If an organization considers success an ability to lure top business and political names to an event, then the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza was hugely successful. A Washington, D.C., think tank and advocacy group, La Raza drew huge crowds to the four-day Austin event that ends today.

While here, conference participants heard from top corporate leaders, such as Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer Corp., and a variety of state and national political figures, including U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. Corporations also lined up to buy sponsorships that started at $75,000. The number of takers tells you something about the $650 billion Hispanic market.

Everywhere you turn these days, you see advertisers reaching for a chunk of those dollars. You see it on television, hear it on the radio, read it in the newspaper and see it on billboards. It's a big market that is only going to get bigger.

In a population that big and that diverse, jealousies and conflicts are inevitable. In a population that big and that diverse, no one organization is going to harbor all the wisdom. Though La Raza's work is commendable, its approach is only one of several necessary to exploit fully the promise of Hispanic population growth.

Hispanics are a young, growing and diverse population. Like all young, growing and diverse populations, there are problems as well as potential, both of which got plenty of attention over the past four days.

There was plenty of talk about Democrats taking the Hispanic vote for granted, but an overflow of criticism of the Bush administration. No more "piñata politics," Raul Yzaguirre, the group's president declared. "They blindfold you and hope you are satisfied with a few trinkets that fall to the ground." He could just as easily have added, "fight over" those few trinkets that fall on the ground.

Political success is only a part of the overall picture. The true measure of success for Hispanics may already be here. Though over-represented in the ranks of the poor, Hispanics also occupy a growing place in the middle and upper classes, hence the outreach of businesses at events like the Austin conference and in mainstream advertising.

There is a huge difference, however, between declaring independence and attaining it. Though loaded with potential and growing wealth, the Hispanic population still faces huge problems in educational achievement and in health care. Hispanics are certainly going to have to be part of those solution.

Becoming part of the solution means more Hispanic students staying in school, a tremendous effort that will have to include parents of those youngsters, as well as the schools and those who think of themselves as political and cultural leaders.

The attendance and the allure of the National Council of La Raza conference in Austin is an indication that movement continues to be made in the right direction, but a sustained effort is necessary to keep making positive progress.

Given the growth of the Hispanic population and its youth, these are the workers of the future. The economic stability of the country rests on their shoulders. Society at large can't afford to waste any of their potential, and the youngsters can't afford to waste themselves.