The latest US Census data — showing a growing number of immigrants living in the US, including many from Mexico — won’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with Rhode Island politics.Indeed, with 11 Latinos running for the Providence City Council, and 11 more running for the General Assembly — in communities extending from Newport to Prov¬idence — this heightened level of participation is not just the next stage in the state¬wide development of Latino political power, but also a harbinger of things to come.
Building on earlier successes, Latino candidates can be expected to run in greater numbers, and for more offices. Once again, candidates as ideologically opposed as Sheldon Whitehouse and Stephen P. Laffey are aggressively courting Latino voters. And although a big increase in Latino representation in the General Assembly seems off in the future, it’s probably only a matter of time before a viable Latino candidate runs for mayor in Providence.
Over the last 10 years, as Latinos became challengers in the political arena, and then winners, these newcomers are being forced to defend their record and their ability to advance an agenda for the common good. While difficult challenges remain, real progress has been made, and pacesetters like state Senator Juan Pichardo (D-Provi¬dence) are proud, “because we planted seeds, and the seeds have grown, and are producing many new leaders and civic-minded community leaders.”
What about the results?
On a recent Saturday afternoon in Providence’s Washington Park neighborhood, Pichardo and a friend celebrated 10 years of friendship in an unusual style: a combined pig roast and political fundraiser.
Pichardo and former local activist Victor Capellan, now a principal in Brooklyn, New York, mingled and laughed with about 100 of the people who have accompanied them on their journey to empower and educate Rhode Island’s Latino community. Some told stories of past races lost. Some reflected with satisfaction on Pichardo’s 2002 victory, when he became the first Dominican-American state senator in the US. Still others wondered about the unprecedented number of Latino candidates this year. And all could take pride in helping to bring fresh energy to Rhode Island politics.
Questions persist, however, as to just what kind of political power is being developed, and whether this power can influence high-level policy-making and thus bring needed change on such issues as public education, quality health-care, and affordable housing.
The difficulty of being part of the establishment — no easy task — has supplanted the challenges of running against the establishment. Creating a common agenda among minority legislators, building coalitions, and winning legislation will be the true test of the success of rising Latino political power in Rhode Island. As Gonzalo Cuervo, the president of Progreso Latino and the director of community relations for Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, says, “Latino political power is growing at a phenomenal pace in Rhode Island, yet the absence of a common agenda has limited the community’s true potential.”
One of the most glaring examples of this is the national debate on immigration. While tens of thousands of immigrants — mostly Latino — marched in numbers not seen in Rhode Island in decades, almost all of the elected officials who had previously curried favor with the Latino community were noticeably absent.
