African Americans and Latinos: Opportunities for Building Electoral Coalitions
"In this election year we will witness an unprecedented transformation of American politics and a realignment of the electorate as parties struggle to win the White House, control of Congress, governorships, control of state legislatures, and hundreds of local offices. As The Almanac of Latino Politics illustrates, Latinos and African Americans will be the driving force behind this transformation of American politics," stated USHLI President, Dr. Juan Andrade, during a briefing on African Americans and Latinos: Opportunities for Building Electoral Coalitions.
The briefing was held on April 9, 2008 in the Reserve Officers Association of the U.S. Building in Washington, DC. Over 70 individuals, including congressional staff and representatives of national organizations and labor unions, attended the briefing which was conducted by a panel of experts including: Dr. Ron Walters, Executive Director of the African American Leadership Center, Mr. Jorge Mursuli, President of Democracia USA, and Ms. Melanie Campbell, Executive Director and CEO of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation.
Issues that were discussed focused on analyzing the political landscape of African American and Latino communities in terms of majority and near-majority cities, legislative and congressional districts. The potential impact of the Latino & African American vote in the 2008 presidential primaries and general election was also discussed, as well as successful and unsuccessful attempts at coalition building over the last 30 years at local, state and federal levels.
The vital message throughout the briefing was that it is imperative that policy-makers in the nation's capital understand the implications of the geo-political landscape of the United States, with regard to Latinos and African Americans. The briefing was sponsored by Southwest Airlines.