THE BEST, THE WORST AND THE UNFORGETTABLE LATINO MOMENTS OF 2006

The Best...

Gov. Bill Richardson Negotiates
a Journalist’s Freedom

In-depth reporting can seem dangerous to countries unused to American-style freedoms of the press, and for foreign journalists, treks into these countries can be deadly. In August, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Salopek was researching a story for National Geographic on life in the Sahel desert when his reporting took him to a village near the Chad-Sudan border. There, Salopek, his driver Idriss Abdulraham and interpreter Suleiman Abakar Moussa were detained by a teenager brandishing an AK-47. He was part of a militant group that captured, robbed and held the trio for three days in lice-infested huts before turning them over to the Sudanese government. Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, who’s known as a governor with a foreign policy, and had already negotiated the release of others from the area in 1996. Salopek’s wife, Linda, and Ann Marie Lipinski, editor in chief of the Chicago Tribune, his regular employer from which he was on a leave of absence, went to the governor for help.
The Sudanese government invited Richardson to meet with its president, Omar Al-Bashir to discuss Salopek’s release. Two days later, Salopek and his two companions were released. In all, Salopek, who lives in New Mexico when not traveling, was beaten and held for 34 days.

A Lovely Start for Ugly Betty
It was ABC’s long shot. The premise is funny and full of underdog appeal: A homely young Latina is hired to work for a playboy magazine editor and is forced to prove herself as a loyal assistant in an office full of shallow backstabbers. Hilarity ensues. Unlike other ingénues, lead actress America Ferrera is happy to strip herself of Hollywood beauty in favor of good roles that require her to be less than glamorous, and this role not only does that, but adds braces and glasses.
The network knew they likely had a hit with many Hispanics, since Ugly Betty is based on the Colombia’s telenovela Betty la Fea. But would the show catch on with everyone else? The answer was a resounding yes, and Ugly Betty premiered as the most-watched new television show of the fall season, and giving ABC its highest ratings in that timeslot in 11 years.

Shakira Has the World in Her Cup
It’s been a big year for the Colombian pop star: She is the recipient of 10 Grammy and Latin Grammy awards, at which she also performed and stole the show; she’s appeared on Saturday Night Live, and she’s to star in the film Dare to Love Me. But the true test of her international stardom came when she was charged with revving up the crowd with a big performance just before the final match of the World Cup in Germany. The song of choice was her blockbuster single Hips Don’t Lie and she, along with 400 other performers, dazzled global audiences with a 10-minute song and dance rendition.

Miss Universe: AIDS Awareness Ambassador
In support of the Latino Commission on AIDS, Zuleyka Rivera, the new 18-year-old Miss Universe, rolled up her sleeves and took an HIV test, in public. Rivera hails from Puerto Rico, which with her fifth win for the island, has the second most Miss Universe winners in the world. Her chosen cause is AIDS awareness, and it’s an ideal cause for a role model who will be looked up to by millions of Latinas. The commission reports that their infection rate is five times higher than that of white women, and it has increased in recent years.
Rivera has vocally championed her cause and not let its taboo nature deter her. During a trip to India she promoted AIDS awareness and compassionate treatment for the country’s sex workers. In the U.S. she works with the Global Health Council, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, AmfAR and more.
Alma Awards are Back on TV
All it took was some elbow grease and some star power to bring the ALMA Awards back to national network television. The awards, originally created by the National Council of La Raza in 1995 to promote positive images of Hispanics in film, television and music, haven’t been broadcast since 2002.
But this year, with the help of Eva Longoria, who pulled double duty as both host and producer, it was picked up by ABC for a full-blown 90-minute prime-time special.Longoria is one of the stars of ABC’s Desperate Housewives, and her costars Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross made appearances. Performers Paulina Rubio, Gloria Estefan, Carmen Electra, George Lopez and others pulled in more than
4 million viewers, double that of the 2002 awards show.

The WORST ...

The Fence
This October, President Bush officially signed into law The Secure Fence Act of 2006, which calls for the construction of several border fences that together span more than 700 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border. But some experts are skeptical as to how the structure could significantly improve the situation and are positive that it will erode relations with Latin American governments. Mexican President Vicente Fox and President-elect Felipe Calderón have both expressed their vehement opposition. Border scholars fear that coyotes, opportunists who help immigrants cross the border illegally, would take immigrants through even more dangerous portions of the Southwestern desert. Conservationists say a wall and more traffic will damage fragile ecosystems and block animal migration. And the fence won’t come cheap. The Congressional Budget Office puts the total cost estimate at $2.2 billion, or $3.2 million per mile.

The Death of
Hilton Ruiz
It was a sad year for Afro-Cuban jazz. In February conga king Ray Barretto died. And in June we were struck by the strange death of Hilton Ruiz. He had been a prodigy who at 8 years of age played Mozart at Carnegie Hall and later recorded with Charles Mingus, Tito Puente and Dizzy Gillespie. The New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent had traveled to New Orleans in May to record music for an album benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Early one morning he fell outside a French Quarter bar. Reports claim that he suffered severe face and skull trauma. The New Orleans police ruled it an accident and found that he stumbled while walking along the street and hit his face on the side of the curb. He suffered a heart attack en route to the hospital and slipped into a coma from which he never recovered. Fans wonder how a stumble could have caused such colossal damage, and rumors circulated that he had been attacked. On June 6 he succumbed to his injuries and died, he was 54.

The Flag Debate
Some thought of it as an insult, others as a showing of pride, but everyone had an opinion. In protest of bill H.R. 4437 that called for the 700-mile border fence and criminalize those who provide assistance to undocumented immigrants, people took to the streets and held up Mexican flags as part of their protest. Those angered by the demonstration claimed that the flag-waving proved immigrants have divided loyalties and refuse to assimilate. Even other Hispanic groups seemed offended by the showing. The onslaught of outrage came at the protestors from all angles. The most fervent, came from anti-immigrant groups who burned Mexican flags in retribution.

Higher Costs of Higher Education
It’s getting harder and harder for Hispanics to pay for college, says an alarming report from the progressive organization Campaign for America’s Future. In September the organization published a 23-page document detailing that as the cost of higher education has continued to climb, Hispanic household income has decreased by 4 percent between 2000 and 2005. Over that same period, costs for Hispanics attending public colleges have increased 42 percent. And the cost now consumes one-third of Hispanic median household income. As grant programs dwindle, students seek out student loans, the report says. Prospects look grim, as Congress recently voted to increase the interest rate on federal student loans, and last year $12 billion was eliminated from the federal student loan program.

Letter Intimidates Immigrant Voters
In late October, 14,000 Southern Californians with Spanish surnames received a menacing letter. Basically, and in Spanish, the letter warned that if you are an immigrant or in this country illegally, voting in a federal election is a criminal offense that could result in jail time and that voters’ names are verified through a new government database that is accessible to anti-immigrant groups. Its source was the office of Tan Nguyen, a Republican candidate from Vietnam who ran against incumbent Democrat Loretta Sanchez for her Orange County post. The letter, filled with inaccuracies about the voting process and eligibility, caused a firestorm. The local GOP called for his resignation and a spokesperson said Nguyen is “not a welcome member of our party.” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even called the letter racist. Nguyen, who has refused to quit, blamed the incident on a staff member who on their own initiative mailed the letter without Nguyen’s consent.

And the ones we won't forget.

300 Millionth Americano
At 7:46 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on October 18, Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, New York welcomed the arrival of Emanuel Plata, a normal, healthy boy who just might be the nation’s 300 millionth resident. The baby, along with several others, was born at the hour when the Census Bureau estimated that the population would reach 300 million. His parents are Armando Jiménez and Gricelda Plata, both Mexicans who now reside in Brooklyn. No one can be exactly sure which person is the 300 millionth American, but many demographers agree that it would likely be a baby boy of Hispanic descent.

Cuban or Puerto Rican, Latinas are All “Very Hot”
Legislator Bonnie Garcia, a Republican of Crystal City, California, probably never saw it coming. In August, a recording surfaced of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discussing Garcia’s ethnic background with his chief of staff in March. “She’s Puerto Rican or the same thing, Cuban, I mean they all are very hot. They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them, that together makes it.” The recording came from an audio file downloaded from a password-secured portion of the governor’s website. It was then leaked to a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Many Hispanic officials dismissed the comments, while many newspaper columnists were offended. Garcia, 44, came to Schwarzenegger’s defense saying it was a compliment, that he simply meant that she was passionate.

Univision for Sale
The deal is all but sealed. In mid-September the battle over the purchase of Spanish-language media giant reached a boiling point. Mexican media group Televisa was in the running, but the company was ultimately snatched away by a group of private equity firms headed by Haim Saban. Televisa had provided much of the programming for Univision, but as of late the two had been embroiled in disputes and legal battles. Saban is looking to the future of Univision and considering what the company can do for the Hispanic community. Pending FCC approval, the deal should be finalized in the spring.
Are You Ready for Some Fútbol?
“Why did you learn English?” Asks a dark-haired tot from the back seat of a Toyota Camry hybrid. “For your future,” responds the handsome father with a Latino accent. This controversial ad, which premiered at the 2006 Super Bowl, utilizes a mix of English and Spanish to describe that the car runs on both gas and electricity. While other ads have utilized Latin music or Spanish phrases, none have used it as centrally as the Toyota ad. It was a risky move, but one sure to be copied by many other advertisers in pursuit of the Hispanic dollar.

May Day
On May 1st in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, Phoenix, New Orleans and other major U.S. cities, Hispanics and immigrant supporters walked out. Schools emptied, job posts were abandoned and businesses closed. It was “A Day Without Immigrants” and organizers called on immigrants and supporters to show what conditions would be like if immigrants did not work and support the economy. One of the largest protests took place in Los Angeles, where some estimates participation at close to half a million. Nationwide, turnout was lower than expected and high-profile Hispanics had mixed feelings. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa saw it as a positive event, while Rep. Mel Martinez (R-Florida) was unsure if this was the best way to prove the point.