Latino Leadership Interviews #2
With this new series, Latinos who are at the forefront of influence will be asked a series of questions to get to the core of their drive and passion. It is from their direction I believe, that we will find a source of inspiration and encouragement.
On Twitter, I’ve thought of creating a new hashtag (#) called #latinoleaders, but I’ll just use the hashtag #leader for a broader discussion. Here, on the blog I’m considering putting a new page for this endeavor, but for now will just use the Category – Interviews (yes…not Latino Interviews).
For the next guest, I decided to hold nothing back and let him have it with some very probing questions…I know he can take it because we talk the same language. He’s a superb author, and social media promoter. He’s an author of a new novel that takes pulse of the American heartbeat.
Raul Ramos
What is America Libre about and how is it relevant to today’s political atmosphere in the US?
It’s unfortunate but the U.S. news media pays little attention to an issue until there is blood on the streets. With America Libre, I put blood on the streets in a work of fiction in hopes of avoiding a similar fate in real life. The novel takes place in the near future and is the story of Mano Suarez, an unemployed Afghan veteran in Los Angeles who is drawn into an emerging Hispanic separatist insurrection with the intent of reclaiming U.S. territory once part of Mexico and Spain. A loyal American, Mano is radicalized by the attacks of vigilante supremacists against Latinos in his neighborhood. I think there is a danger the escalating climate of hate toward illegal immigrants could metastasize into an ethnic conflict similar to those of the Chechen rebels in Russia, the Basque separatists in Spain, the Tamils in Sri Lanka, and the Balkans, to name a few.
What real life current events specifically can we find mirrored in America Libre?
The warning signs that America Libre may be a prediction more than fiction are already here. The U.S. has seen a 40% increase in hate crimes against Latinos over the last five years. In fact, Latinos are now the number one group victimized by hate crimes. Young men presumed to be Hispanic have been brutally attacked by strangers in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. An Imperial Wizard of the KKK publicly bragged that hostility toward illegal immigrants has swelled his group’s ranks. In April of this year Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned of the growing threat of violence from right-wing extremist groups. Unless we scale back the public hate and take a more reasoned approach to the immigration debate, the U.S. could be in for turbulent times.
What did this novel mean to you?
Among many other things, I wanted America Libre to create a more diverse view of Latinos. I feel the Hispanic identity is much more complex than the portrayal created by the media. For example, “Latino” and “immigrant” have become so synonymous that Sonia Sotomayor was characterized in some news sources as an immigrant during the early days of her nomination as a Supreme Court Justice. As most Latinos know, Judge Sotomayor was born in the Bronx of Puerto Rican parents – and Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, not “immigrants.” The entertainment world also engages in stereotypes. Félix Sánchez, chairman of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, points out that Hispanic actors who speak standard English and do not fit the expected racial stereotypes are usually cast in non-Hispanic roles. What’s more, Afro-Latinos are virtually non-existent in TV and movie roles—despite the fact that more people of African descent speak Spanish in the Americas than English.
What influenced you to be a writer and what do you seek to accomplish?
America Libre is my first novel but some would say I’ve been creating fiction for more than 25 years in my advertising career. Seriously though, I wanted to employ the skills I’ve acquired as a professional communicator to issues personally more meaningful.
How important is literature and/or all media?
I think a well-crafted novel can put us inside another person’s skin. The heightened drama of fiction is in many ways more powerful at creating that human connection than a textbook or non-fiction. That’s why Picasso said, “art is a lie that tells the truth.” Today, as the U.S. becomes increasingly diverse, we need to understand each other more than ever. No matter what your ideology, ethnicity or race, recognizing our common humanity goes a long way toward helping resolve our differences.
Should ‘regular’ people participate in media dialogue? If so, how?
I think the emerging power of social media shows that everyone can play a role in shaping the dialogue on issues. Bloggers and tweeters in China, Cuba, Iran and other nations have influenced government policy. In the U.S., people of every political stripe are engaging in the political process through social media. Unfortunately, social media is a double edged sword. Some extremists are using it to agitate and recruit. But as long as we keep the discourse civil, public discussion is healthy. And let’s not forget that social media is great for spreading prosperity through better, more transparent communications about products and businesses. We live in a very dynamic time.
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