por Raúl Reyes

I am going to miss Bill Richardson. The New Mexico governor ran quirky campaign ads depicting being interviewed for the job of president — and being rejected as overqualified. After being passed over for questioning during an Iowa forum, he drew laughs when he asked if “the brown guy” could speak. And in the testy New Hampshire debate, the ex-diplomat lightened the mood by noting that he had been in “hostage negotiations that were a lot more civil than this.” In contrast to the Democratic frontrunners, nobody ever questioned Richardsonʼs likeability or experience. Yet he didnʼt have Hillaryʼs name recognition, Obamaʼs charisma, or Edwardsʼ charm.

Not only did Richardson fail to gain traction with voters before leaving the race, he didnʼt click with Latinos much, either. Last year, a USA Today poll found that six out of ten Hispanics had never heard of the former congressman, United Nations ambassador, and Cabinet member. Ironically it is on the heels of Richardsonʼs exit that the presidential race moves on to Nevada, where Latinos constitute 12 percent of the electorate. On the same day that Richardson left the race, Hillary Clinton was in a Hispanic neighborhood in Las Vegas, knocking on doors and visiting a Mexican restaurant. I appreciate Señora Clintonʼs efforts to court the Hispanic vote. Her campaign manager is a Latina, and she has collected endorsements from national figures like Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Senator Bob Menéndez of New Jersey.

Up to now, Hillary has been by far the candidate of choice among Latino Democrats. USA Today put her Hispanic support at 59 percent, while Obama was a distant second with 13 percent, but that was pre-Iowa and New Hampshire. In Nevada, Obama has won the backing of two key unions, which could help get out the Latino vote in the caucuses. No doubt, Hispanic votes are critical to the Democratic candidates. The new primary calendar means that states with large Hispanic populations will be voting earlier than usual.

Whatʼs more, Latinos are flocking back to the Democratic Party. According to the Pew Center, 57 percent of Hispanics are Democrats or lean that way, while just 23 percent now identify as Republicans. This reverses Hispanic gains the GOP has made in recent years. Pew attributes the change to the Republicansʼ harsh stance on immigration. Another Pew study found nearly two-thirds of Latinos believing that the failure of comprehensive reform has made life harder for all Hispanics. The majority worried about themselves, a friend or a relative being deported. Latino voters may well be influential swing voters in the general election. In 2004 George W. Bush carried New Mexico, Florida, Nevada and Colorado — all states with a significant Hispanic electorate — by margins of five points or less. No matter what the outcome of the 2008 race, I will remember Governor Richardson as an exemplary presence. From start to finish, he ran a positive campaign. While demonstrating that a Latino could be qualified for president, he sought to be the candidate of all Americans.

I was especially proud of him when he ended his run by thanking each of his rivals and que dios los bendiga, may God bless you. These were gracious words from a true Hispanic hero. Hispanic Link.

­(Raúl Reyes is an attorney in New York City. Reach him at rarplace@aol.com). ©2008

­by Tim Chávez

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – My mother married my father more than a half century ago in a church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was located in a Topeka, Kansas, barrio populated with a growing number of Latinos recruited to fill meat-packing jobs and keep the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad running across this nation.

The barrioʼs most famous citizen, Mike Tórrez, pitched the New York Yankees to victory in the 1977 World Series, winning two games, Every U.S. city that realizes a critical mass of Hispanics, especially mexicanos, will be home to a Catholic church dedicated to La Virgen de Guadalupe. Venerated as a protector, she appeared in 1531 near Mexico City to an Indian boy, Juan Diego. A great cathedral stands there now.

In the United States, a church dedicated to her signifies the maturation of the local Hispanic population as merchants and homeowners and leaders and taxpayers. A church dedicated to her means “This is our home, too. Our Lady is always with us. We also are children of God.”

Such deep faith has always been a defining characteristic of Hispanics. That faith has been recognized now in Nashville with the opening of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Amid the ongoing onslaught against immigrants – particularly in the South – this bodes well for more sane discourse and decision-making in 2008.

A spectacular dedication mass spotlighted our rich culture and history in this city. Our children clutched bouquets of roses to put before a giant painting of the Mother of God. Our families showcased the youthfulness of a workforce that will increasingly serve this countryʼs welfare and defense as Baby Boomers retire. I sat in the pews with my brothers and sisters from another country who risked so much to come here and put their futures in Godʼs hands. At no time has this kind of faith been more needed. In the South, Hispanics are being targeted physically.

There is a 1-in-11 chance theyʼll be pulled over on Tennessee state highways and interstates. That compares to a 1-in-19 chance for whites and blacks, a Nashville TV station reported.

Some county sheriffs are making a priority of rousting job sites of undocumented workers. Once the lack of needed documents is discovered, immigrants are held for federal authorities.

Against this backdrop, the year concluded on a hopeful note. The location of Our Ladyʼs church is perfect. Itʼs on a primary traffic artery where Hispanics have revitalized the neighborhoods and the business community after locals moved to the suburbs. The church will be more than a place to worship. It will be a visible English-language education and cultural center.

An unlikely partnership came together to make this miracle happen. The primary mover and shaker is a blue-eyed Irish-American priest who speaks barely a word of Spanish. But this Nashville native used his bully pulpit and reputation to remind members of his congregation at nearby St. Edward Catholic Church that itʼs payback time.

Father Joseph Patrick Breen continually preaches about our immigrant history. He reminds his parish – and Nashville – that others were here to help the Poles, the Italians and the Irish to set up their own churches and institutions.

There has never been a Statue of Liberty on the Rio Grande to greet Hispanic newcomers. By naked conquest, migrants from the East took over the richest lands Mexicans originally inhabited from Texas to California. For the past several years, St. Edward has opened its doors to more than 1,300 Latinos at two extra masses. But Father Breen knew more was necessary. In a matter of months in 2007, the mostly white congregation responded.

Our Ladyʼs church is located in a Baptist church that closed after losing much of its congregation to the suburbs. Property owners agreed to sell it and its school buildings for a third of their appraised value. Of a total $1.5 million in total costs, more than $600,000 has been raised.

My father is gone now. When he returned from World War II, Mexicans were still segregated in a roped-off section of pews in the Catholic church of his rural Kansas hometown. But an Our Lady of Guadalupe church in nearby Topeka welcomed my parents and offered them simple respect as they began their union and family.

Our Lady brings hopeful momentum into 2008 and a reminder to this nation of a moral obligation to its immigrant history.

(Tim Chávez is a political columnist wh­o lives in Tennessee. Contact him at ­timchavez787@yahoo.com). ©2008

by Janet Murguía

Janet Murguía

Over the holidays, families gathered to share traditional meals, stories and laughter. Now that they are over, it is time to take a closer look at what is on the table.

Our New Year’s resolutions reflect what we know about the risks associated with obesity and diabetes, but there is another health concern that could be reduced simply by sharing more information throughout our community – Spina Bifida and Neural Tube Defects (NTDs).

Spina Bifida and NTDs affect Latinos at a higher than average rate and are among the most common permanently disabling birth defects in the United StatesNTDs result when the baby’s spine fails to close during early pregnancy.

One key way to reduce the risk of this happening is for women to make sure they get 400 micrograms daily of folic acid, which is a B-vitamin, before and during pregnancy. Taking folic acid before pregnancy lowers the risk of Spina Bifida and other serious birth defects up to 70 percent. Waiting until pregnancy before taking this essential vitamin, however, will not help prevent birth defects. Even women who are not planning to become pregnant should include 400 micrograms of folic acid in their daily diets.

“It’s so important for women to take a multivitamin with folic acid every day.Before my pregnancy I had heard of NTDs, but I knew absolutely nothing about them,” says Emily, a Latina mother of a six-year-old daughter living with Spina Bifida. “I will do whatever I can do to help prevent another birth affected by Spina Bifida.”She has spoken to Congress and others about the difficulties she and her little girl face in their everyday lives.

Scientists think that Latinas may face a higher risk of pregnancy affected by Spina Bifida or another birth defect partly because corn flour products such as tortillas are not fortified with folic acid. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only requires food manufacturers to add folic acid to wheat flour products such as bread and cereal. Because Hispanics tend to eat a higher proportion of corn flour products, they are less likely to get sufficient folic acid in their diets.

At the National Council of La Raza we are working to address this problem.Last year, NCLR joined with the Spina Bifida Association, GRUMA, one of the world’s largest producers of corn flour and tortillas, and Wal-Mart Stores to launch an initiative to lower the risk of birth defects among families that consume corn products.As a result, GRUMA agreed to fortify its products with folic acid.

NCLR also belongs to the National Council on Folic Acid, and we work in partnership with other national organizations, associations, and state folic acid councils to reach more than 100 million people a year with information about folic acid’s benefits.

Despite these efforts, we need more people to help us spread the word.Each year, approximately 3,000 pregnancies are affected by Spina Bifida or another birth defect. Of these, about 850 are among Hispanics.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, among all racial and ethnic groups, Latinas consume the least amount of folic acid and have the least knowledge about folic acid. If Latino rates were reduced to the national average, 200 fewer Latino children would be born with NTDs each year.

It takes a community committed to healthy families to join with parents like Emily and organizations like NCLR as we recognize National Birth Defects Prevention Month. You can help add to the wisdom shared at family mealtime and in schools, churches and community centers. It is a small step to take for a healthy future for our children.

(For more information on Spina Bifida, NTDs, and folic acid, visit the Spina Bifida Association’s website at ­www.spinabifidaassociation.org or call 800-621-3141.) ©2008