ERNIE BROWN JR. Hispanics can make voices heard Election Day

President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said this about voting: "Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves -- and the only way they could do this is by not voting."
In one month, area residents will vote on new representatives to the U.S. Congress, and Hispanic voters can have a say as to who will represent their interests on Capitol Hill.
In case you weren't aware, we are near the end of National Hispanic Awareness Month (it began Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15), which is set aside to celebrate the traditions and cultural achievements Hispanics have contributed to enrich our nation.
The Hispanic presence in our nation is on the rise. U.S. Census 2000 figures show the nation's Hispanic population is now 35.3 million, which comprises 12.5 percent of America's total population. Hispanics represent 5.2 percent of Youngstown's 82,026 population.
The real median income of Hispanic households in 2000 was $33,455, the highest ever recorded, and the percentage of poor Hispanic families is 18.5 percent, a decline of 1.7 percentage points from 1999, census figures show.
The figures, however, had this one disturbing statistic -- Hispanics still aren't getting out to vote on a national level. Even though the number of registered Hispanic voters increased by about 20 percent from 1996 to 2000, only 40 percent of those registered came out to vote in the last presidential election.
Concerned
Mary Isa Garayua, executive director of the Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana in Youngstown, also is concerned about the local Hispanic vote.
"We [Hispanics] need to get out and register, and then we need to get out to vote," Garayua said.
OCCHA is the primary United Way-sponsored social service agency that caters to the needs of the Youngstown community's Hispanic population. Its headquarters is on Shirley Road on the city's South Side.
Garayua gave me a copy of a letter sent to her from Sila M. Calderon, the first woman governor of Puerto Rico. Calderon is passionate in her letter about the importance of Puerto Ricans voting, especially on the mainland.
While 80 percent of Puerto Ricans vote in elections on the island nation, "only 40 percent of our families living on the mainland are registered and even of those who are, only 40 percent vote.
"This means our voice is not as strong as it should be on matters of public policy," she wrote.
Voter drive
Calderon asked Garayua to join her in implementing a voter registration drive to foster "civic pride and empower Puerto Ricans who live on the U.S. mainland."
Calderon's voter registration theme is "Que Nada Nos Detenga!" (Let Nothing Stop Us!) It is a drive to register thousands of Puerto Ricans by the 2004 presidential election.
Political clout often brings change in a community. In my memory, Hispanics haven't carried much in Youngstown. Only two -- Henry Guzman, now director of Cleveland's Office of Equal Opportunity, and Marilyn Gonzalez -- have served on the school board. No Hispanic has served on city council or ever run for mayor.
If not for the appointments of Edwin R. Romero as city law director and Hector Colon as fire chief under former mayor Patrick Ungaro, the Hispanic community would have been shut out of important decision-making positions in city government in the 1980s and mid-1990s.
An opportunity
One of the events that draws politicians like a magnet is the annual OCCHA fund-raiser dinner. It is usually scheduled toward the end of the campaign trail, and most folks running for public office attend to make a final pitch for votes.
This year's event is Nov. 1 at The Georgetown on South Avenue, Boardman, and will honor Hispanics in the arts and other cultural venues. A social hour is at 6 p.m. with dinner and the awards ceremony starting at 6:30.
This is a great opportunity for Hispanics to come out and talk with politicians who may be making decisions that impact the community.
Also, get out and attend some of the debates or forums and listen to the candidates' answers on various topics. One candidates' forum will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at New Bethel Baptist Church on the city's South Side.
So, let your voice be heard. Monday is the Ohio deadline to register at your county elections board for the Nov. 5 election. An apathetic electorate stifles change and practically guarantees a return to business-as-usual politics.
ebrown@vindy.com
XTickets for the 30th annual OCCHA fund-raiser dinner are $30 per person. For information, call OCCHA at (330) 781-1808.