The 37th Annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHCI) Public Policy Conference began with a powerful reminder of the inextricable link between the prosperity of the country and the prosperity of Latinos in the U.S. During conference’s opening plenary session entitled, Underrepresented – Where are the Latinos?, Al-Jazeera America Host Ray Suarez , asserted that as a country, we can no longer afford to ignore the growing influence and necessity of Latinos if the U.S. hopes to solidify its status as a prosperous nation for generations to come.
Although the population of Latinos in the U.S. continues to grow and their productive contributions to the U.S. economy increase daily, Suarez noted that, “we remain somehow strangers, the most familiar strangers possible…We’re always having to explain ourselves, demand our due.”
Suarez was joined by some of the nation’s most prominent Latino leaders including CHCI Chair Ruben Hinojosa, Office of Personnel Management Director, Katherine Archuleta, Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino and legendary actress Rita Moreno. The leaders had a robust and productive conversation about ways in which the country and its leaders can curb the underrepresentation of Latinos in key industries and elevate Latino voices across multiple sectors and decision-making roles.
As Latinos continue adding to the diverse fabric of the U.S. in multifaceted ways, Suarez said Latinos are, “finally able to say to the rest of the country, we really are all in this together.” The host continued, “If you don’t prosper, we don’t prosper. Punto.”
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