Freydell + Torres Diversity

Rescuing the Stories Behind Latino Art

admin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:24:05 +0000

Finally, a decade ago, one institution, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, decided to tackle that problem by creating a digital database dedicated to preserving art-related ephemera — the letters, the clips, everything — from the Latin American world. Now, after years of planning and research, the database is up and running. It’s called “Documents of 20th-Century Latin American and Latino Art.” It’s on the Internet. Access is free. Type icaadocs.mfah.org/icaadocs/. And hello, history.

Traditional museums are archives by definition, focused on conserving, displaying and augmenting permanent collections.

The Houston museum conforms to this classical model, but with its Latin American archive adds something to it. The archive itself is part of a larger initiative that began in 2001 when the museum’s then-director, the late Peter C. Marzio, established a curatorial department of Latin American and Latino art, and along with it a research institute called theInternational Center for the Arts of the Americas, or the I.C.A.A.

New York TImes via JRMarketing Report

The crucial importance of the Latino vote in deciding the 2012 presidential election

admin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:26:27 +0000

“The Time magazine cover story “Yo Decido. Why Latinos will pick the next President” might seem shocking to some, but according to at least one well-respected political consultant, Latinos have already picked one president: W. In a panel discussion addressing this very same question during last fall’s Advertising Week, Lionel Sosa, a longtime Republican consultant who has worked on eight presidential campaigns, starting with Ronald Reagan in 1980, proclaimed that Latinos had already elected a U.S. President … twice! First, in 2000 when the difference between Al Gore and George W. Bush in Florida was 535 votes and Bush won 6,000 more Latino votes than Gore.Then again in 2004, when Bush won an unprecedented 44% of the Latino vote. Everyone in politics knows that winning elections is a numbers game, and that in the end this presidential election will depend on 15 key swing states where, according to Jeb Bush’s op-ed in The Washington Post,’Hispanic voters will represent the margin of victory.’”

Adage via DM2Hispanics

Food for Thought: The Next Immigration Challenge

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:39:40 +0000

OP ED Piece published 1/12/2012 in the New York Times. By Dowell Myers, professor in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California, and author of “Immigrants and Boomers.”

THE immigration crisis that has roiled American politics for decades has faded into history. Illegal immigration is shrinking to a trickle, if that, and will likely never return to the peak levels of 2000. Just as important, immigrants who arrived in the 1990s and settled here are assimilating in remarkable and unexpected ways.

Taken together, these developments, and the demographic future they foreshadow, require bold changes in our approach to both legal and illegal immigration. Put simply, we must shift from an immigration policy, with its emphasis on keeping newcomers out, to an immigrant policy, with an emphasis on encouraging migrants and their children to integrate into our social fabric. “Show me your papers” should be replaced with “Welcome to English class.”

Restrictionists, including those driving much of the debate on the Republican primary trail, still talk as if nothing has changed. But the numbers are stark: the total number of immigrants, legal and illegal, arriving in the 2000s grew at half the rate of the 1990s, according to the Census Bureau.

The most startling evidence of the falloff is the effective disappearance of illegal border crossers from Mexico, with some experts estimating the net number of new Mexicanssettling in the United States at zero. The size of the illegal-immigrant population peaked in 2007, with about 58 percent of it of Mexican origin, according to the Pew Hispanic Center; since 2008, that population has shrunk by roughly 200,000 a year. Illegal immigrants from Asia and other parts of the globe have similarly dwindled in numbers.

This new equilibrium is here to stay, in large part becauseMexico’s birthrate is plunging. In 1970 a Mexican woman, on average, gave birth to 6.8 babies, and when they entered their 20s, millions journeyed north for work. Today the country’s birthrate — at 2.1 — is approaching that of the United States. That portends a shrinking pool of young adults to meet Mexico’s future labor needs, and less competition for jobs at home.

If the number of immigrants is declining, what about that other nativist bugbear, assimilation? There’s little doubt that immigrants’ potential as economic contributors turns on their ability to assimilate. Fortunately, recent studies by John Pitkin, Julie Park and me show that immigrant parents and children, especially Latinos, are making extraordinary strides in assimilating.

Today, barely a third of adult immigrants have a high-school diploma. But the children of Latino immigrants have always outperformed their parents in educational achievement. By 2030 we expect 80 percent of their children who arrived in the 1990s before age 10 to have completed high school and 18 percent to have a bachelor’s degree.

But it is immigrants’ success in becoming homeowners — often overlooked in immigration debates — that is the truest mark of their desire to adopt America as home. Consider Latinos. Among those in the wave of 1990s immigrants, just 20 percent owned a home in 2000. We expect that percentage to rise to 69 percent — and 74 percent for all immigrants — by 2030, well above the historical average for all Americans.

Who will be selling these homes to these immigrants? The 78 million native-born baby boomers looking to downsize as their children grow up and leave home. Fortunately for them, both immigrants and their children will be there to buy their homes, putting money into baby-boomer pockets and helping to shore up future housing prices.

Indeed, with millions of people retiring every week, America’s immigrants and their children are crucial to future economic growth: economists forecast labor-force growth to drop below 1 percent later this decade because of retiring baby boomers.

Immigrants’ extraordinary progress in assimilating would be faster if federal and state policies encouraged it. Unfortunately, they don’t. This year, the Department of Homeland Security plans to spend a measly $18 million — far less than a tenth of 1 percent of its budget — on helping immigrants assimilate. Meanwhile, states with large immigrant populations are cutting the budgets of community and state colleges, precisely where immigrant students predominantly enroll.

How do we change course and begin treating immigrants as a vast, untapped human resource? The answer goes to the heart of shifting from an immigration policy to an immigrant policy.

For starters, the billions of dollars spent on border enforcement should be gradually redirected to replenishing and boosting the education budget, particularly the Pell grant program for low-income students. Some money could be channeled to nonprofits like ImmigrationWorks and Welcoming America, which are at the forefront of helping migrants assimilate.

Second, the Departments of Labor, Commerce and Education need to play a greater role in immigration policy. Yes, as long as there remains a terrorist threat from abroad, the Department of Homeland Security should have an immigration component. But immigration policy is all about cultivating needed workers. That means helping immigrants and their children graduate from high school and college. It means that no migrant should have to stand in line for an English class. It means assistance in developing migrants’ job skills to better compete in an increasingly information- and knowledge-based economy.

Thanks to our huge foreign-born population (12 percent of the total), America can remain the world’s richest and most powerful nation for decades. Shaping an immigrant policy that focuses on developing the talents of our migrants and their children is the surest way to realize this goal.

Just as the primaries start getting good: “Republican Latinos Feeling Left Out in 2012″

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:59:57 +0000

“Pundits have been quick to use Iowa as a 2012 crystal ball. But, among the things that the results of Tuesday night’s caucuses cannot predict is how Latino voters perceive the Republican hopefuls.

The same will be true of the following primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina, as none of the first three states have sizable Hispanic populations.

Estimates find that eligible Hispanic voters make up just 2% of Iowa’s voter population, and less in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Unless the primary battle drags out through Florida on January 31st and Nevada on February 4th, we may have few opportunities for Hispanic Republicans to weigh in en masse on their nominee.”

Hispanic Trending via DM2Hispanics

¡Seasons Greetings! Felices pascuas y próspero año nuevo

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:17:49 +0000

To all our friends, happy and very safe holidays. And may 2012 be a better year: loaded with love, health and work for all of us

Humberto Freydell

Carlos F. Torres

Sofia Vergara On Her Accent, Colombian Women, And Getting Confused For Her Son’s Sister On Conan O’Brien.

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:39:43 +0000

“Sofia Vergara shamelessly plugged her new clothing and accessory line at Kmart when Conan O’Brien complemented her on her dress. But who wouldn’t, right? Then, O’Brien asked Sofia about her 20-year-old son. People confuse her son for her brother and Sofia loves it.”

From DM2Hispanics

Who’s using What Media and When? Read on and Find Out

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:20:51 +0000

Created by: MBA Online

found at JRMarketing report

Hispanic population exceeds 50 million, firmly nation’s No. 2 group

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:09:54 +0000

(CNN) — The growing Hispanic population in the United States has reached a new milestone, topping 50 million, or 16.3% of the nation, officially solidifying its position as the country’s second-largest group, U.S. Census Bureau officials said Thursday.
“Overall, we’ve learned that our nation’s population has become more racially and ethnically diverse over the past 10 years,” Nicholas A. Jones, chief of the bureau’s racial statistics branch, told reporters.
Several trends emerged from the 2010 census, according to Robert M. Groves, director of the census bureau, and Marc J. Perry, chief of the population distribution branch.
The country is growing at a smaller rate. Growth is concentrated in metropolitan areas and in the American West and South. The fastest-growing communities are suburbs such as Lincoln, California, outside Sacramento. And standard-bearer cities such as Boston, Baltimore and Milwaukee are no longer in the top 20 for population, replaced by upstarts such as El Paso, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina, the officials said.
The most significant trend, however, appeared to be the nation’s new count of 50.5 million Latinos, whose massive expansion accounted for more than half of the nation’s overall growth of 27.3 million people, to a new overall U.S. population of 308.7 million, officials said.
The Hispanic population grew 43% since 2000, officials said.
In stark contrast, all other populations together grew by only about 5%, officials said. The nation as a whole expanded by 9.7%.
Bureau officials declined Thursday to say how much illegal immigration has spurred growth among Latinos and other minorities, saying the sources of the growth are still being studied.
“Those are actually very excellent questions,” Roberto Ramirez, chief of the bureau’s ethnicity and ancestry branch, told reporters. “We are actually in the middle of the process of investigating that.”
While the white population increased by 2.2 million to 196.8 million, its share of the total population dropped to 64% from 69%, officials said.
The Asian population also grew 43%, increasing from 10.2 million in 2000 to 14.7 million in 2010, officials said. Asians now account for about 5% of the nation’s population.
The African-American population, which grew by about 4.3 million, is now about 40 million, or 12.6% of the population, a slight increase over 12.3% in 2000, officials said.
Persons reporting “some other race” grew by 3.7 million, to 19 million, or 5.5% of the nation, figures show.
“The face of the country is changing,” Jeffrey Passel, demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, told CNN.
Demographic data had already been released for all states except New York and Maine and for the District of Columbia.
William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, said that Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and five other states have doubled their Hispanic populations.
In fast-growing states where whites and blacks dominated past growth, Hispanics are now the greatest growth engine, Frey said.
The significance of the numbers to the United States is more than just an increase of an ethnicity. Research shows that along with the changing demographics, the country has become more diverse in other ways, Passel said. For instance, there is a substantial mixing of the American population through interracial marriage, he said.
Another change is the concentration of the growing populations.
Previously the Hispanic population was concentrated in eight or nine states; it is now spread throughout the country, Passel said.
Frey said there is more diversity among children. Most of the data released so far show decreases in the population of white children, he said.
Minorities will have a greater presence among future generations, he said. For example, in Nevada, 61% of children are minorities, compared to 41% of adults.
In border states like Texas, demographers say, Hispanic populations are expected to surpass non-Hispanic populations within the next decade.
“Without question we are becoming a Hispanic state,” said Texas state demographer Lloyd Potter.
“I live in San Antonio, and there you see Spanish advertisements, television shows and newspapers everywhere,” he said.
In cities and towns across the region, there are Spanish-speaking restaurants, retailers, and annual festivals.
“It’s helpful to be able to speak a little Spanish if you’re non-Hispanic,” Potter said. “My neighbors don’t really speak much English. While my Spanish isn’t great, at least we can interact and be neighbors.”
But while the labor force may absorb Spanish-only employees, an emerging debate among policy makers asks whether their children face added challenges in English-speaking schools.
“Education attainment is the single best determinant for a whole variety of social outcomes,” said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.
Analysts speculate that while population levels swell, comparable growth in education levels may take some time.
“In New York City, Italians once had a much higher high school dropout rate,” Camarota said, noting an Italian immigration flux in the United States that spanned the years of 1890 to 1920. “It took them 60 to 70 years to lower those levels and close the socioeconomic gap.”

AARP – TAX AIDE – TV and Web Spot

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:50:35 +0000

In this tax season, FTDiversity wrote and produced this TV/Web spot for AARP. We combine Direct Response strategies and tactics with a Brand awareness feel into it. In addition, we highlighted the likeness of James Brown – commonly called “J.B.” JB is the host of The NFL Today on CBS and Inside the NFL on Showtime. He is also AARP’s Community Ambassador.

Television Commercials: Virgin Mobile

admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:13:35 +0000

Often times, General Market agencies lack the resources and budgets to develop Hispanic campaigns. Part of the FTDiversity model includes partnering with those agencies to assist in developing such campaigns. The Virgin Mobile spots below are an example of such collaboration. The Hispanic strategy was crafted and executed by FTDiversity, maintaining elements of synergy with general market, while keeping the needed differences.

Pool

Changing Room