A New Agenda for a New Majority

We are on the cusp of a historic shift in New York City. After spending much of the latter part of the 20th century seeking economic opportunity and increased political participation, Latinos and Blacks in the nation’s largest city are poised to make their mark.  We are just one seat shy of a majority in the New York City Council. The Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus in Albany represents one-third of the majority conference within the New York State Assembly and holds the most significant leadership roles in the New York State Senate minority.  

Despite progress made, our communities are still grappling with inadequate housing, joblessness, lack of healthcare, and educational deficits.

For 160 years, the Community Service Society of New York (CSS) has been at the forefront of efforts to make the promise of New York City ring true for its low-income residents.  Over the last two decades we have been deeply involved in many of the struggles involving Latino New Yorkers. 

This column represents our partnership with a powerful voice for Latino interests in our city – El Diario – as we seek to trade upon the history and current work of CSS to make certain the New York City of today reflects our city’s emerging majority.

In many ways, our recognition of the alignment of interests between communities of color is owed to someone who was a catalyst for change at CSS and in our city, the late Richie Perez.  During his tenure as our director of political development, Richie was the driving force behind our political mobilization, including our voter registration drives that resulted in more than 200,000 new voters, mostly people of color and immigrants.  His legacy can be seen in the growth of Latino elected officials and through his leadership of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights.

Two years ago we had the honor of having the publisher of El Diario, Rossana Rosado, join the Board of Trustees of CSS; an appointment borne through her relationship with Richie Perez, and his protégé, Gabriel Torres-Rivera, our Director of Reentry Initiatives.

Under Gabriel’s leadership, CSS launched the New York Reentry Roundtable in December 2005 to provide a forum to identify public policy solutions to assist the formerly incarcerated in New York State.  Last May, the Roundtable convened an Advocacy Day in Albany to present its legislative agenda to members of the legislature.  Roundtable members continue to meet with policy makers to advance agenda items in the upcoming legislative session.

Our legal department is under the direction of Juan Cartagena, CSS General Counsel and a nationally recognized voting rights expert.  We joined forces with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Law and Social Justice to file a lawsuit challenging New York State’s felon disfranchisement law.  The case was filed on behalf of Black and Latino prisoners and parolees who are prohibited from voting because of their felony convictions.  In addition, Juan played a significant role during the recent reauthorization of the federal Voting Rights Act, testifying before Congress and receiving an invitation to the White House for the bill signing ceremony.

Recently, CSS re-focused its efforts to advance the economic mobility of low-wage workers, with a special focus on young adults.  Latinos comprise the largest race/ethnicity group among this population, accounting for 42.1 percent of “disconnected youth” across genders. 

From El Diario/La Prensa
February 28, 2008