Latino Interests in Education, Health, and Criminal Justice Policy

Abstract

n many ways, America, as a nation, is becoming Latinoized. In significant parts of the country, breakfast tacos are preferred to biscuits and gravy, futbol to football, and salsa to ketchup. At the same time, Latino artists like Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin, and Gloria Estefan have recently reigned over the pop charts. Latinos like Bill Richardson, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Henry Cisneros are recognized as influential Washington politicos and many Latinos and Latinas, representing diverse constituencies, serve prominently in the U.S. Congress. Despite the ascendency of Latino culture, few Americans understand how the growth in the size and influence of the U.S. Latino population might potentially influence important policy decisions. To begin to address this deficiency, we briefly highlight how current policies in education, health, and crimi-