Agroup of Latino leaders from around New Jersey have created an organization aimed at uniting the state’s diverse Latino communities and promoting a public policy agenda committed to economic and political empowerment.
Frank Argote-Freyre, of Freehold Borough, has been asked to act as interim chairman of the Latino Action Network (LAN). He said LAN consists of 27 charter members who will meet to establish bylaws and elect a permanent executive committee.
“The network is a nonpartisan organization focused on issues of policy rather than political parties or personalities,” he said.
LAN is preparing an Internet website and can already be viewed on the Internet socialnetworking site Facebook.
“It is obvious that the Latino community in New Jersey has not been served particularly well by either political party,” Argote- Freyre said. “The most recent proof of this was the failure of in-state tuition to even come up for a vote in the state Senate.”
He was referring to a bill that would have allowed students in the U.S. illegally to attend New Jersey’s public colleges and universities at the discounted resident tuition rate. Under the bill, illegal aliens would have qualified for the lower tuition rates if they attended and graduated from a New Jersey high school or hold the equivalent of a high school diploma. Students would have been required to sign an affidavit with the university stating that they have applied for legal status.
Argote-Freyre, who is an assistant professor at Kean University, Union, said, “The network will seek to create a broader coalition to champion issues of great concern to our community. If we had had this network in place at the time of the vote (on in-state tuition), we may have been able to reach hundreds of people rather than dozens.”
The goal of this organization, which Argote Freyre referred to as a broad coalition, is to “connect public policy leadership with those on the ground.” He said the idea is to connect those who are working on making laws with the people who those laws will be affecting.
One of the priority issues for LAN will be a comprehensive immigration reform plan.
Other individuals who are involved include Albert J. Alvarez, the former deputy chief of staff for Gov. Jon Corzine; Christian Estevez, a member of the Plainfield Board of Education; Daniel H. Jara, president and chief executive officer of the statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Angel Matos, a charter member of the Keyport Cultural Harmony Program; Jose Perez and Anna “Cuqui” Rivera, community activists; Antonia Rivera, director of Union County Workforce Investment Board; and Milton Rosado, of the United Auto Workers.
Estevez said, “The Latino Action Network represents the next step in community advocacy, bringing together grassroots community organizers with established Latino policy leaders. The challenges faced by the Latino community in these difficult times require a new approach to advocacy that combines proven organizing methods with new techniques that take advantage of modern technology and existing social networks. It’s all about connecting people for community action.”