November 2010

In this issue:

President’s Message
NLMC 2010 Writers Program Participants Announced
Alex Nogales Receives 2010 Local Heroes Award
Washington D.C. Update
NHMC Thanks Local Impact Awards Luncheon Sponsor: Univision
NHMC Congratulates Raul Yzaguirre
Department of Labor: “We Can Help” Campaign
New Resources to Promote Online Child Safety
Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Support NHMC

President’s Message

This month I went to the polls to fulfill one of our most important civic duties: voting. I was pleased that a great percentage of Latinos joined me in this important duty. As you know, NHMC does not take positions on political candidates, so I will avoid any discussion of who and what I voted for, and why. However, I will note that I was alarmed by the number of candidates across the U.S. that aired commercials demonizing the Latino community in an attempt to win votes. I am delighted that if one thing is to be taken away from this election, it is that scapegoating Latinos in campaign commercials is an ineffective way to court voters, particularly Latino voters. I applaud them for going to the polls to elect people who are going to represent their needs, not bash them over the public airwaves. And I highlight that Latinos went to the polls to elect candidates that are sensitive that this is a nation of immigrants and diverse people, and that inclusiveness is a better strategy than divisiveness. Many politicians assume that ordinary people are too simple to understand nuanced messages about what the candidates stand for. This often results in overly-propagandized messages instead of what elections should really inspire: informed and civil debate. And at its worst, it leads to messages that are undemocratic. This election cycle I watched, like many of you, in disgust as entire campaigns were devoted entirely to suppressing the Latino vote. Several organizations insisted that Latinos should not vote in protest of our current elected officials’ failure to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Fortunately, Latinos did not heed the terrible advice. We read between the lines, we recognized who was with us and who was against us, we voted, and we made a difference that will never be forgotten, and in the years to come inspire our community to vote in even larger numbers. As the Latino population continues to grow and continues to become more engaged in politics, candidates will have to think twice before they scapegoat and bash the Latino community.

NLMC 2010 Television Writer’s Program Participants Announced

NHMC is proud to present the 2010 NLMC Television Writers: Sasha Stroman Malaret Rick Dominguez Mercedes M. Valle Joey Ernand Lisa Wilson Nevena Fairclough Ashley Salaz Omar Ponce Brian Saa Ruth Hernandez Participants were announced on October 27th and are now undergoing an intensive scriptwriters workshop to help place them in writing jobs within the major television networks. This year’s participants came from New York, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles. In addition to the daily workshops, the writers had the opportunity to have "Breakfast With the Executives" which included executives from NBC and ABC and will be having guest speaker appearances from various television show-runners, producers, and writers. The last day of the 2010 NLMC Writer’s Program is December 10th. Don’t miss the opportunity to apply for next year’s program when the submission period begins in June 2011.

Alex Nogales Receives 2010 Local Heroes Award

Congratulations to NHMC’s President and CEO, Alex Nogales, for being honored by KCET and Union Bank with a Local Heroes Award. The Local Heroes Awards were presented on October 7th as part of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and were held at the KCET Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Other award recipients were cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, educator Sal Castro, and music group Ozomatli. The Local Heroes Award recognizes the exemplary leadership and dedication of the recipients to serving their community.

CapitolWashington, D.C. Update

by Jessica J. Gonzalez Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs November is a time of change in the nation’s capital. Obviously, November 2nd marked the election of the 112th Congress, which will take office in January, and the 111th Congress will return next week for a "lame duck" session. In addition, November is a last reprieve in a downward spiral towards winter (which East Coasters seem to embrace with glee, as I, a California native, resentfully tolerate, as I have yet to grasp what is so special about "seasons.") Over the past month, NHMC has continued its work at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), advocating for policies that empower people of color and others that have been traditionally under and misrepresented in mainstream media. For example, we organized nearly forty organizations from across the country to send a letter urging the FCC to reinstate broadcasters’ obligation to submit equal employment opportunity data for public inspection. In addition, we mobilized over two dozen immigrant rights groups to send a letter to the FCC urging it to ensure that the various text message campaigns designed to mobilize people for social justice, such as "Text Justicia to 69866" for immigration reform, be allowed to operate without interference from telephone companies. Finally, we represented Latinos for Internet Freedom and the Media Action Grassroots Network, two coalitions which together comprise several hundred organizations from across the country, in comments to the FCC advocating for network neutrality regulations over wireless devices. As NHMC continues to actively advocate before the FCC, we are beginning to see initial fruits from our labor. On November 4th, the FCC announced that its State-Federal Joint Board on Universal Service agreed with comments that NHMC and others filed this past summer regarding the Lifeline and Linkup programs (offering discounted telephone service to low wealth households). In particular, the Board agreed that adjustments to the programs are necessary to ensure that they are better serving low income participants, and that they are supporting broadband in addition to telephone services. Unfortunately, the FCC cannot move forward with the important step of subsidizing broadband through the Lifeline and Linkup programs until it has the legal authority to do so, which is why NHMC continues to urge the FCC to move forward with its "Third Way" proposal to reestablish its authority to expand the Lifeline and Linkup programs. Click here for details about the work coming out of NHMC’s D.C. Policy Shop.

NHMC Thanks Google and Univision for Co-Sponsoring its 8th Annual Local Impact Awards Luncheon

NHMC thanks Google and Univision for their gracious contributions, which will go not only to supporting the luncheon, but also to reinforcing the Coalition’s mission. Last month’s newsletter featured Google, and this month, Univision: The U.S. Hispanic population is the fastest-growing community and consumer base in this country. As the leading Hispanic media company, Univision reaches millions everyday via television, radio, and interactive. It is our mission to inform, entertain and empower Hispanics, which is why we invest in initiatives that will help our community succeed. Two of these initiatives focus on education and civic engagement. Civic Engagement The recent midterm election cycle proved Hispanic U.S. citizens’ influence and reach. They are a force to be reckoned with – their voice and their vote are critical to the political dialogue and are the swing vote. That is why Univision, in partnership with NALEO and hundreds of community organizations, aggressively encouraged civic engagement with a multi-platform get out the vote campaign, "Ya Es Hora, ¡Ve y Vota!." The campaign was a call to action for millions of Latino registered voters to shape their future. "Ya Es Hora" provided resources for every aspect of the electoral process equipping Latinos with all the tools necessary to cast an informed ballot. Education No issue is more important than education and improving academic achievement for our youth. That is why Univision launched "Es El Momento," a multi-year, comprehensive, education initiative, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, community, education and civil rights groups from around the country. We are using all of the resources across our company to empower Hispanic families by providing them with relevant information they need to succeed. Investing in education and achieving this goal is vitally important to the future of our country. We are honored to partner with the National Hispanic Media Coalition to serve the needs of the U.S. Hispanic community across our platforms. It is a privilege and a responsibility we take seriously, and will remain a priority for our next 50 years and beyond.

NHMC Congratulates Raul Yzaguirre

Last month the U.S. Senate confirmed Raul H. Yzaguirre as United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Yzaguirre, who is currently a professor at Arizona State University, was also CEO for decades of the National Council of La Raza. He has been a long time ally of NHMC and a good friend and mentor to NHMC’s President & CEO, Alex Nogales. Yzaguirre continues to be a great icon in the Latino community and we wish him well in his new endeavor.

Department of Labor: "We Can Help" Campaign

DOLNHMC praises the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) "We Can Help" campaign for helping connect America’s most vulnerable and low-wage workers with the services offered by the DOL. The campaign places special focus on reaching employees in such industries as construction, janitorial work, hotel/motel services, food services and home health care. It also addresses such topics as rights in the workplace and how to file a complaint with the Wage and Hour Division to recover wages owed.The campaign also underscores that wage and hour laws apply to all workers in the United States, regardless of immigration status. All information and resource materials are also available in Spanish. Read more here.

New Resources to Promote Online Child Safety

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unveiled a community outreach kit with new resources to help parents and communities keep kids safe online and on their mobile phones. "The free Net Cetera toolkit will help more parents, educators, law enforcement officials, and community leaders start conversations with kids about being safe online." said FTC Chairman, Jon Leibowitz. Read more. Protect Yourself From Identity Theft and Cyber Attacks The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched a new website as a one-stop national resource in efforts to protect consumers from identity theft. The website provides a broad range of tips on how consumers can protect their social security numbers, recognize signs of identity theft, prove consumers have been victims of identity theft, and file a complaint to the FTC. Read more.

Support NHMC’s mission to:

– Open doors for Latinos in media – Improve the image of Latinos in the media – Advocate for media and telecommunications policies that benefit the Latino community and other communities of color.]]>