Today we celebrate the birthdays of two important American presidents, Lincoln and Washington. And while there hasn’t been a Hispanic to serve in the Oval Office – yet – there have been a number of Hispanic cabinet members and presidential advisors, including Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General (Bush), Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce (Bush), Mel Martinez, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Bush), Federico Pena, Secretary of Energy (Clinton) and Henry Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Clinton).
There are also thousands of Hispanic elected officials who serve our country at the state, county and local levels every day. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, today there are more than 6,000 Hispanics serving in elected or appointed office across all levels of government.
In 2005, there were nearly 5,000, an increase of more than 50 percent from 1985. Not surprisingly, the majority served in states with large Hispanic populations (Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado were the top five states with the most Hispanic public officials), but even smaller states and states with historically low Hispanic populations, such as New Jersey, Connecticut and Michigan, had healthy representations of Hispanic public officials, and the number is increasing every year.
While the majority served as county and municipal officials, more than a third served on education and school boards – a finding that mirrors the results of our “Confianza: Hispanic Trust Pulse” survey, which found that education is the No. 1 issue of importance for Hispanics across the nation, regardless of acculturation.
Today FH Hispania not only salutes our nation’s Presidents, but also the thousands of Hispanic men and women making a difference at all levels of government. To you, we say, ¡Muchísimas gracias!
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