by Aitana Vargas
Hispanic Link News Service
It’s been nearly three years since the world witnessed the remarkable arrival of Mexican-American astronaut José Hernández to the International Space Station. Now this 49-year-old father of five is seeking public office for the first time. He is competing in California’s newly created 10th Congressional District, which includes Stanislaus County and the southern portion of San Joaquín County.
Hernández, who considers himself the embodiment of the American dream, became a symbol of courage and hope for millions of Hispanic immigrants after landing a seat on the space shuttle Discovery mission in 2009.
His success story hasn’t been an easy one. Son of Mexican farmers, he helped his immigrant parents Salvador and Julia harvest cucumbers and tomatoes from the fields of Stockton in California’s Central Valley when he was a child.
He earned an electrical engineering degree at the University of the Pacific in 1984. Two years later, he received his Master’s in engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
After numerous attempts, he was accepted into NASA’s astronaut program in 2004 — an inspiring message of perseverance passed on by his parents. Now he wants to instill that message into the young Hispanics who are fighting for the passage of the DREAM Act, proposed federal legislation that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrant students who complete two years of college or military service.
Like his struggle to become an astronaut, Hernández’s run for office will not be easy. He is in a competitive race against certified public accountant Mike Barkley in the Democratic primary. If victorious, he faces state senator Jeff Denham, who has received the endorsement of the California Republican Party, and Independent Chad Condit.
Voter registration in the agriculture-heavy district gives Democrats a 42%-37% edge. Hernández’s success story and connection to Hispanics, who make up 15% of the 10th Congressional District, could also help. If elected, he will follow in the footsteps of former NASA astronauts John Glenn (U.S. senator, 1974-1999) and Harrison Schmitt (U.S. senator, 1977-1983).
At a recent reception in Los Angeles hosted by the Service Employees International Union where he was honored, Hernández hammered home his credo to Hispanic Link News Service that education is key to progress. “You should never give up. It is very unlikely that you will accomplish your goals on your first try.”
He described how he became a vocal supporter of comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act during his Discovery mission as he watched an Earth without borders from more than 200 miles above its surface.
At the top of his priorlty list if he is elected, he said, is to pave the way for a bill that would legalize some of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
Speaking about President Barack Obama’s sometimes wavering support among Hispanics, he suggested, “We have to be patient with the President. He does not lead the country by himself. There is the House of Representatives and the Senate, too.”
Historically, presidents succeed in carrying out their most significant reforms during their second term in office, when they do not have to worry about public opinion and reelection, he added.
It was President Obama, while backstage at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s awards gala last year, who urged the spaceman to run for office, Hernández revealed. He was there to receive the group’s highest honor. First Lady Michelle Obama also offered to help his campaign in the white-majority district.
Among those showing their respect for him at the Los Angeles reception were Congress members Lucille Roybal Allard, Grace Napolitano and Xavier Becerra, all from Southern California, and Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
(Aitana Vargas is an independent journalist based in Los Angeles. Email her at av2392@caa.columbia.edu)
