Harry P Pachon

Many scholars accepted it as conventional wisdom, but the assertion stung Harry P. Pachon like an arrow shot from an ivory tower. It was the early 1970s, and some political scientists had declared that Latinos weren't likely to become voters because of an anti-democratic, Ibero-American heritage. To Pachon, who had grown up in Florida's politically superheated Latino community, the theory seemed absurd and reflected the lack of Latino voices in the academic world.

Many scholars accepted it as conventional wisdom, but the assertion stung Harry P. Pachon like an arrow shot from an ivory tower. It was the early 1970s, and some political scientists had declared that Latinos weren't likely to become voters because of an anti-democratic, Ibero-American heritage. To Pachon, who had grown up in Florida's politically superheated Latino community, the theory seemed absurd and reflected the lack of Latino voices in the academic world.

Bravo! Your editorial "An ID-Card Plan That Makes Sense" (Aug. 5) is right on the money, because, as you state, it makes sense! The banks have long used this system to verify Social Security numbers of all new customers, ensuring that they are the only person holding the reported number. I hope that the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform adopts this plan, since it ensures compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Also, because it's fair to both legal immigrants and all other legitimate residents.

Saying Proposition 187 would take an economic and moral toll on California, several leading business executives Thursday spoke out against the ballot measure that would deny many public services, including schools and non-emergency medical care, to illegal immigrants. "It's flawed legislation if you deal with the issue of the numbers," said Michael Rossi, a vice chairman of Bank of America, at a Downtown news conference.

The Screen Actors Guild on Wednesday released the second, more detailed volume of a study on race in Hollywood that contained a discouraging assessment and a stinging comment by an executive on the efforts last year to level the playing field for minorities. Even though the national Latino population has increased five times since 1970, the share of jobs available to its professional actors remains at 2%.

Making sense of the college admissions scramble--SAT, early decision, financial aid forms--is enough to frustrate any parent. But that challenge is compounded when parents don't speak English or when their child is the first in the family to attend college, as is the case with many Latinos, according to a study released Thursday by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute's Center for Latino Educational Excellence.

Minorities are now the majority in California, according to Census Bureau population estimates unveiled today. Experts said this demographic trend will become a national one in the next few decades as the population of the United States swells with the arrival of more immigrants and the birth of minority children.

They signed up for assorted reasons: Some hope for better jobs, others yearn to vote, and many simply seek to formalize allegiance to their adopted homeland. About 300 of these foreign-born residents, mostly from Mexico and Central America, ventured Saturday into the cafeteria of Thomas Jefferson High School in South-Central Los Angeles to apply for citizenship as part of a regional campaign sponsored by the National Assn. of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials.

As the fall television season prepares to premiere with mostly white characters on mostly white shows, minority leaders are looking to Congress to help integrate the entertainment industry both in front of the camera and behind it.

With stirring speeches in English and Spanish, senior Democratic lawmakers unveiled their party's immigration reform blueprint Tuesday -- even though their presumptive presidential candidate, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, had taken no position on the far-reaching legislation. "The question is, 'Where's Kerry?' " said Harry P. Pachon, president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, a Latino research center at USC. "It may be ... that he is worried about the backlash."

For years, Jesse Miranda, a Southern California Pentecostal minister, toiled quietly within the Latino Protestant movement. But the confluence of two disparate forces--President Bush's faith-based initiatives proposal and the rise of Latino Protestantism--have pushed Miranda into the national spotlight.