This edition of The Ñ Beat profiles Chicago's elected Latino officials who have answered the call to public service and now use their political influence to affect changes within their communities. Sparked by the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Act of the 1960's, and a growing population, the Latino community's political clout has evolved. As the minority majority in the U.S., Latino leaders are being elected at every level of government and wielding more influence than ever before.
Featured guests on The Ñ Beat include Congressman Luis Gutierrez, a veteran of Latino politics serving Illinois' Fourth District; City Clerk Miguel Del Valle, an Illinois State Senator for 18 years and the first Latino to be elected to the State Senate; Alderman Danny Solis of the 25th ward, a Mexican immigrant, turned citizen, turned Alderman for the Pilsen Community in Chicago; Dr. Juan Andrade, President of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute and authority on Latino history and politics; and Henry Cisneros, the former mayor of San Antonio and Secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Ñ Beat, is produced by Theresa Gutierrez and Edgar Vargas and is available "on-demand" at the ABC 7 website, www.abc7chicago.com.
