Hispanics are coming together to unveil their roadmap for the future of America. On January 11, 2012 - this will launch the 2012 Hispanic Voice Town Hall Tour across America that will invite city and community leaders and will be an open forum for Hispanics to express their voice, concerns and solutions for our community and how we can best contribute to the future of America. The Tour will run through the 2012 elections and serve to help Hispanics understand why we must be more mindful of our voting responsibilities. More importantly, Hispanics must become more knowledgeable about why we matter as a growing community and that we must enable ourselves if our voices are to be heard and taken seriously.
The Town Halls will be objective, solution-oriented and forward-thinking. They will specifically address the road map but will empower participants to create the broader agenda items for Hispanics in America that are actionable and that support a plan that can be implemented at a local, state and national level. This will be a unique opportunity to give Hispanics the chance to unite, empower and expand our authentic and powerful identity. City by city, the agenda and voices will mature. Each month, I will be accountable to directly inform the media of the progress, evolution and our acceptance and accountability for our new responsibilities as citizens for a better America.
As our platform strengthens, we (Hispanics) will begin to trust our voice, appreciate our authentic identity and cultural nuances; and gradually we will understand why it is imperative that we own our vote regardless of candidate or party preference on Election Day. This Town Hall platform will seek to earn the respect from those who have ignored us and that unintentionally caused the misrepresentation of Hispanics along the way.
The 2012 election will be a defining moment for Hispanics and the roles we will play as citizens, leaders and influencers in America. As a result, building an agenda for Hispanics in America will help us understand why we must play a more active and influential part in American life in order to salvage our identity, respectability and future, and that of our children.
The following represents the three step roadmap that all Hispanics need to take together:
Step 1: Unite our Community by Embracing our Cultural Values.
Hispanics must accept that our cultural roots are sources of strength rather than barriers to advancement. We must become more aware of the responsibility our community has as our economic impact grows in purchasing power, population, etc. The more responsible and united Hispanics are, the stronger our voice becomes.
Step 2: Empower our Talent by Activating our Authentic Hispanic Leadership.
Hispanics must stop assimilating, being what others want them to be. Rather we must empower ourselves by celebrating our unique immigrant perspective in our leadership style.
Step 3: Expand our Impact and Influence to Cultivate Economic Growth.
Hispanics must become thought-leaders that represent the voices of all minority groups that are faced with similar challenges. Hispanics must become extended "brand assets" for the organizations we lead and serve to help them create new areas for growth. The more Hispanic can influence business growth, the more influential Hispanics become as leaders in America. This naturally will impact the growth of our economy and create a visible track record that makes Hispanics more attractive participants in Washington.
These steps will accomplish several things for Hispanics, but in particular:
•Serve to eliminate the entitlement and victimization thinking that continues to grow in the Hispanic community.
•Course-correct the perception of the "Hispanic Brand" and change the attitudes toward what the growing Hispanic community can really deliver to the future of America.
•Inspire Hispanic Youth to embrace education and the American dream.
•Encourage corporations to get involved as this conversation will have a direct impact on increasing their market share, consumer intelligence and brand alliances.
•Educate the rest of America. They must begin to understand that Hispanics can actually strengthen or weaken the value of their assets. They need to realize that Hispanics (in particular Hispanic professionals) must be viewed as a growing resource pool that can fuel innovation and new opportunities for business and society. Hispanics, if given the opportunity, have the power to help America rise back to the top of global competitiveness.
The future of the Hispanic community affects everyone. Hispanics are the defining vote in 2012, yet we are having the wrong conversations about it. The Hispanics voice is being ignored and thus weakening our nation in the process. Most Americans are not aware of the negative implications and what it means to them and their future.
Hispanics must understand that our new responsibilities affect the non-Hispanic and influence major political issues (ie. education, economy, healthcare, etc.). Hispanics influence these issues more than people think and if America continues to bring this vibrant community down, the problems will worsen with no real solutions in site.
It is essential that we transform the debate about the role of Hispanics in 2012; this is both a moment of great opportunity and peril for our country. It's time for Hispanics to develop a new enlightened form of leadership that embraces the survival, renewal and reinvention of America.
The first tour stop will be held on January 11, 2012 at Hoiles Auditorium located at The Orange County Register at 625 N. Grand Ave., Santa Ana CA 92701. Registration is free, but attendance is limited. Registration for all Town Hall Tour events are to be completed online only at www.2012HispanicVoice.com. According to Ron Gonzales, news editor for The Orange County Register that will also moderate the kick-off event on January 11th, "I hope that our Town Hall discussion will provide a forum for people to talk about their concerns, to set priorities and to explore solutions. Some experts are saying that more than 12 million Latinos nationwide will vote in November. That number represents a significant voice in local, state and national elections - as well as a significant resource."
For more information on how you can host a Town Hall Tour event in your city and / or if you are interesting in being a volunteer, please contact us at please contact us at: ideas@2012HispanicVoice.com.