Dolores Huerta & DREAM Activist Lucy Martinez

December 10, 2010

Lucy Martinez (front, in green) with other DREAM hunger strikers. | Photo courtesy L. Martinez

The DREAM Act — the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act — received its first-ever vote in the U.S. of House of Representatives: and it passed. The measure faced a Republican filibuster in the Senate, and Democrats tabled it.

Thousands of student activists across the country have been advocating for its passage, often through acts of civil disobedience and non-violent protest. What’s clear, no matter the legislative outcome during this lame duck session of Congress, is that lots of young people have been politicized by this particular struggle.

We wanted to put one of those young activists together with a veteran organizer, someone who has more than her share of victories and defeats under her belt: Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers.

Maria invited the two women to talk about the next steps for the DREAMERS.

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Julián and Rosie Castro

Intergenerational Political Action in San Antonio

Quick—name a political family from Texas!

The first one that comes to many folks’ minds is probably “Bush.” (Even though, as is often overlooked, they’re originally from Connecticut.) If you ask that question on the ground in Texas, specifically in San Antonio, the political family likely to be named is “Castro.” Joaquín Castro is a member of the Texas State Legislature. Rosie Castro was a member of the Latino third party La Raza Unida and has been a political activist for decades. Rosie’s son (and Joaquín’s twin brother) Julián Castro is the Mayor of San Antonio, the youngest in the city’s history. Julián is seen as part of a third wave of Latino politicians in the U.S. We interviewed Julián and Rosie to find out what motivates his work and how Latino politics of the past have affected him. We also spoke with Henry Flores, a Professor of Political Science at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, about why Julian Castro is a significant figure in modern politics.

Listen to NPR’s All Things Considered this weekend for Maria’s profile of Julián Castro, whom some say represents a third-wave of Latino political leadership. He talks about his mom’s influence, and his responsibility to represent Latino interests as well as the rest of the people of San Antonio. Check your local station for broadcast times in your area.

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While student activists in the U.S. try to rally support for the DREAM Act, students in Puerto Rico are once again rallying to protest tuition hikes and cuts to higher education. A student-organized strike across University of Puerto Rico campuses earlier this year shut down the school for two months. This week, students at the UPR main campus went on strike again to protest more tuition hikes.

Latino USA interviewed University of Puerto Rico student activist Regina Rodriguez when we traveled to Puerto Rico this summer. Once again, she joins the program to explain the most recent strike.

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WEB EXTRA: WikiLeaks & Latin America

The controversy over the website WikiLeaks has been broiling steadily for months, but with the recent release of confidential U.S. State Department diplomatic cables, things seems to have reached a peak of furor on both sides of the issue. The information made public–a mix of damaging behind-the-scenes machinations, sometimes catty descriptions of world leaders, and behavior of diplomats that some view as ethically questionable–has affected governments the world over. Additionally, the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on charges of sexual improprieties further contributes to the furious debate.

Some of the cables address the U.S.’s often tenuous relationship with our Latin American neighbors. The cables give an insight into how the U.S. shapes foreign policy with Latin America, and what challenges the State Department faces when working with our neighbors to the South. Emilene Martinez Morales works for the Mexico Project at the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C. She spoke with us about the impact of WikiLeaks massive document release on U.S.-Latin American relations.

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