CONTACT:  ROBERTO CRUZ II
(408) 273-2712

LATINO ELECTORAL POTENTIAL WIDENING

Latinos constitute the largest minority ethnic group in the country according to the 2000 census and are the fastest growing population in the K-12 system in a number of key states like California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Florida. The youthful nature of the Latino population holds promise for the future, with respect to the electoral power that Latinos will possess nationally.  However, current Latino voter turnouts pale in comparison to demographic growth trends.

These issues are of great importance as California witnesses a greater number of candidates for local, statewide, and national political offices. Dr. Luis R. Fraga, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University will address the status of Latino political trends in California. He will be discussing Latino voting trends in his presentation  “Race, Ethnicity, and the Future of California.”  

Dr. Luis Fraga, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. He is a distinguished political scientist with research interests in Urban Politics and Policy, Educational Politics and Policy, Politics of Race and Ethnicity, Voting Rights Policy, and American National Politics. Dr. Fraga has co-edited the book, Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Advanced Industrial Democracies (1992), and co-authored the book, The Politics of Education in Multiethnic Cities is forthcoming from Duke University Press. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from Rice University. Beginning in the Fall 2003, Dr. Fraga will be on sabbatical at Harvard University to complete his study entitled, “Gender and Ethnicity:  The Political Incorporation of Latina State Legislators.”

You are invited to be our guest for the second National Hispanic University Distinguished Lecture Series on September 11, 2003 from 11:30-1:30 pm, at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (Pavilion Room).

Please RSPV to Laura Ramos at (408) 273-2727 or  lramos@nhu.edu by September 8, 2003.

*Tickets are $25 per person, $250 per table.