Census figures are in. The Latino population in major U.S. cities has grown 43% in ten years. Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago had the largest growth. Market researchers are fully aware of the Latino market, but when will the Latino presence be heard in the voices of policymakers? In California, 73% of the voters who cast ballots were non-Hispanic whites, even though they are a minority in the state. This program, recorded in San Antonio, was the conference keynote speech of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture.

Ruben Blades
Ruben Blades urges Latinos to get organized to get their voices heard. The great salsa star is not the stereotypical Latino musician. A graduate of Harvard, he ran for the presidency of his native Panama in 1994. In his music he tries to express the aspirations of Latin America today as well as to inspire Hispanic solidarity.