The Latino/a Political Identity

With over 55 million Latinos in the U.S. making up over 18% of the population, the importance of Latino leadership and the need to understand our complicated Latino/a political identity has never been greater.

The members of The Progreso Latino Fund were pleased to host Professor Jessica Lavariega Monforti*, a thought leader on this important topic and a leading researcher on trends in Latino/a political identity. Together, we discussed:

• What it means for Latino political identity when naturalized Latinos significantly out vote their U.S.-born counterparts?
• How nearly half of U.S.-born Latinos are younger than 18… and the effect they will have on the politics of the 21st century
• How these change demographics might affect the political incorporation and representation of Latino and Latinas in the coming years.

For those who missed the event, read highlights reported in the New Haven Independent and Yale Daily News.

*Dr. Lavariega Monforti is Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science at Pace University. Her research primarily focuses on the differential impact of public policy according to race, gender and ethnicity. She is specifically interested in the political incorporation and representation of Latinos, immigrants and women. Her latest research examines how major forces such as technology, the military system and immigration policy impact and are impacted by Latino youth. She has worked with organizations such as Texas Rio Grande Legal Aide, La Union del Pueblo Entero, and the South Texas Adult Resource and Training Center.