DO HISPANICS HAVE A HISTORICAL MUSEUM: THE HISPANIC SOCIETY UNVEILED

THE HISPANIC BLOG BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

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The Hispanic Society of America is an imposing museum and research library.
It has a world-class collection of Iberian art that includes works from such masters as Goya, Velazquez and El Greco, and monumental sculptures by Anna Hyatt Huntington, the wife of the society’s founder.

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Yet the 104-year-old institution in Washington Heights, just blocks from the Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was assassinated, is not high on the itinerary of many tourists — or even New Yorkers. Some don’t even know it exists.

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Staying put in a neighborhood that over time has gone from pastoral to gritty and is now a Latin-flavored urban mix has come at a cost of visitors, revenue and recognition. But the Hispanic Society of America is fighting to make itself and its treasures known to a wider audience, even selling Huntington’s coin collection to raise money for new acquisitions.

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Tourists from Spanish-speaking countries “make a beeline to come up there,” said Michael Mowatt-Wynn, the Society’s community outreach advocate. But New Yorkers and other U.S. tourists are far less likely to be aware of it. School groups make up half of the Hispanic Society’s attendance.

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The museum, which is entered through an elaborately decorated courtyard featuring Moravian floor tiles, averages only 20,000 visitors a year, down from about 50,000 annually in the mid-1950s.

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It is easy to walk past the museum tucked behind gates along Broadway’s bustling commercial strip because its landmark status prevents it from placing large signs on the facade.

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The museum’s neighborhood runs from 155th Street to above 190th Street and from the Hudson to the Harlem rivers. It was one of the last areas of Manhattan to be developed and was largely rural when the Hispanic Society opened in 1908 on land once owned by naturalist John James Audubon across from Trinity Cemetery, the burial grounds for New York’s social elite.

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Mowatt-Wynn said the museum became mired in the changing demographics and economic downturn that struck New York City in the late 1960s and 1970s.

To raise its cultural profile, it loans works to major institutions throughout the U.S., Europe and Mexico. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, has 20 objects from the Society on display at its new galleries for Islamic art. The Society is collaborating with the Meadows Museum in Dallas for a Sorolla exhibition in 2013, and it recently loaned works to the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art for an exhibition on Colonial Latin America.

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“The more your works are seen in major exhibitions, the more people come to realize that we’re a major institution with major holdings,” said Codding.

“It’s bigger than anything anyone in the U.S. has in Spanish material,” he added.

Read More story written by AP: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP786720b12f144305a314b0d4cd91695b.html

Hispanic Society of America: http://www.hispanicsociety.org

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DOES UNIVISION HAVE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF VIEWERS: CEO RANDY FALCO PUTS IN HIS TWO CENTS

THE HISPANIC BLOG BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

Spanish-language media giant Univision Communications on Friday reported improved fourth-quarter financials and vowed that it will continue to grow despite increased competition.

The privately-held company, led by CEO Randy Falco and chairman Haim Saban, posted a loss of $355.9 million, compared with a loss of $631.9 million in the year-ago period, which had been  dragged down by $452 million in losses and charges related to a legal settlement with Mexican broadcaster, content supplier and investor Grupo Televisa. Restructuring, severance and related charges rose to $9.3 million in the latest period from $4.9 million in the year-ago period. The company also cited an impairment loss of $12.5 million, compared to $8.6 million in the year-ago period.

Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization, a measure of profitability that focuses more on operations, increased 6.3 percent to $275.7 million. Revenue in the latest quarter rose 6.9 percent to $616.7 million. The company recorded revenue gains in its television and radio business, but not its interactive unit.

“The release of the 2010 U.S. Census results made 2011 a landmark year for Univision and the entire Hispanic media industry,” said Falco. “The Census results showed that our core audience, which is already one in six Americans, is expected to grow to one in three Americans in 40 years.”

To take advantage of the upside opportunity, “Univision is laying the groundwork for growth, investing in new networks and expanding our digital distribution capabilities to deliver the full value of our exclusive programming partnership with Televisa,” he added. “These efforts are enhancing Univision’s audience engagement, as demonstrated by strong ratings and persistent live viewership – Univision finished the fourth quarter with the highest percentage of live viewers in primetime compared to the major broadcast networks.”

On a conference call, Univision executives explained the significance of having the highest concentration of live viewers in the key 18-49 demo in primetime. Of Univision’s audience in that demo, 94 percent watch live, compared with 79 percent at NBC, 76 percent at  ABC and 75 percent at CBS and Fox, the company said.

Spanish-language media has been in transition as the latest Census has cast a spotlight on the sector, and other media and entertainment companies are eyeing opportunities to take advantage, Falco told analysts. “Now, every media executive wakes up thinking of two great growth opportunities – Hispanic and digital media,” he said.

However, Univision has an advantage as it has focused on this space for more than half a century, “and we are far and away the best at it,” Falco said. “We have built up a rare trust and loyalty with our audience.”

But the company won’t rest on its laurels, he emphasized, saying “it pays to be ahead of the curve.” Importantly, Falco said that “we also have the relevant content U.S. Hispanics crave,”  calling Univision’s exclusive access to Televisa content “a huge competitive advantage.”

Asked about rep0rts that Univision has discussed an English-language joint venture with ABC News, executives declined to comment on Friday.

Management touted the outlook for the political advertising season though, saying Univision is spending millions to launch its political sales force.

Read More: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2012/Feb/24/dems_drop_several_claims_in_lawsuit_over_wis__maps.html

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WHAT IS PRESIDENT OBAMA DOING TO FIX THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM?

THE HISPANIC BLOG

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FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

“We are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea—the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. That’s why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here…The future is ours to win. But to get there, we cannot stand still.”

President Obama is calling for a national conversation on immigration reform that builds a bipartisan consensus to fix our broken immigration system so it works for America’s 21st century economy, but he can’t do it alone. Help bring the debate to your community by hosting a roundtable.

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND HOST A ROUNDTABLE.

President Obama is calling for a national conversation on immigration reform that builds a bipartisan consensus to fix our broken immigration system so it works for America’s 21st century economy and security needs, but he can’t do it alone. That is why we are asking you and other Americans, including business leaders, faith leaders, law enforcement leaders and all Americans that understand that we cannot continue to live with the broken system the way it is – to continue the conversation in your community by hosting a roundtable.

Step 1:
Download the toolkit. Click on link below.

Step 2:
Tell us about your event using the form to the right.

Step 3:
Tell us how your event went and submit the completed toolkit on the follow up form.

http://m.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/roundtables

President Obama recognizes that our current immigration system is broken and he is deeply committed to building a new 21st century immigration system that meets our nation’s important economic and security needs. In his State of the Union Address, the President laid out his vision for winning the future. To secure prosperity for all Americans, we must out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world, and fixing our immigration system plays an important part in that plan. As we work to rebuild our economy, our ability to thrive depends, in part on restoring responsibility and accountability to the immigration system.

President’s Vision for Reform
The President plans to create a 21st century immigration system by:

-Continuing to fulfill the federal government’s responsibility to securing our borders;

-Demanding accountability for businesses that break the law by undermining American workers and exploiting undocumented workers;

-Strengthening our economic competiveness by creating a legal immigration system that reflects our values and diverse needs; and
Requiring responsibility from people who are living in the United States illegally.

-Building on Progress
During the last two years, the Obama Administration has taken important steps to improve our immigration system within the boundaries of existing laws. For example, the Administration has:

—-Dedicated unprecedented resources to secure the border;

—-Made interior and worksite enforcement smarter and more effective; and

—-Worked to improve our legal immigration system.

BLUEPRINT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

Click to access immigration_blueprint.pdf

ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDENT:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama, expressing confidence he will win re-election in November, told a Hispanic audience he would use a second term to seek comprehensive immigration reform.

“My presidency is not over,” Obama said in an interview with Univision Radio when asked about his failure so far to push through an immigration bill. “I’ve got another five years coming up. We’re going to get this done.”

Obama is seeking to shore up support among Hispanic voters, whose strong backing helped him win the White House in 2008. But some in the Latino community are disappointed over the lack of progress toward overhauling the immigration system.

Obama – in an interview broadcast the day before his Thursday trip to Florida, an election battleground state with a large Hispanic population – sought to reassure Latinos he was committed to trying to pass broad immigration reform.

He rejected suggestions that he had broken a campaign promise and put the blame on Republicans in Congress who he said were “unwilling to talk at all about any sensible solutions to this issue.”

“So far, we haven’t seen any of the Republican candidates even support immigration reform,” Obama said, taking aim at his potential opponents in the November 6 election.

The White House hopes that hard-line positions taken by Republican presidential contenders on illegal immigration and border control will help Obama with Hispanic voters in vital swing states like Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

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IS DREAM ACT ON PRESIDENT’S AGENDA?

THE HISPANIC BLOG

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College student Jasmine Oliver, of Warwick, R.I., top left, and Javier Gonzalez, of Pawtucket, R.I., top right, display a banner and shout their support for allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates while attending public colleges in the state, during a Board of Governors of Higher Education meeting on the campus of the Community College of Rhode Island, in Warwick, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

President Barack Obama said Congress should take one step toward overhauling the country’s immigration system by passing the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for some children of undocumented migrants.

In an interview with Oakland, California-based Radio Bilingue that was rebroadcast Wednesday via Internet, Obama said his administration prioritizes the deportation of undocumented immigrants with criminal records and tries to avoid separating families.

The president said his administration is doing all it can to make the immigration system more humane, but that the most important priority is to fix the country’s immigration laws.

He noted that during his State of the Union address last month he urged lawmakers to approve the DREAM Act, which passed the House of Representatives in December 2010 but has stalled in the Senate.

That bill would offer permanent residence to undocumented high school graduates who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces or attend college.

Obama said that legislation should be a priority this year, although he lamented that hard-line Republicans were refusing to work in a bipartisan fashion on the issue.

According to the president, it is important that Congress listen to the Hispanic community and other communities affected by the country’s broken immigration system.

An estimated 5,000 U.S. children whose parents have been deported or detained because of their immigration status have been placed in state foster care nationwide, according to an investigation made public late last year by the Applied Research Center.

Obama has acknowledged that his administration’s enforcement policies have caused the break-up of families in some instances and pledged to ensure that children are not separated from their parents without due process.

The president, who will seek re-election in November, supports a “comprehensive” immigration overhaul that would strengthen border security while simultaneously putting many of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States on a path to citizenship.

By contrast, most of the candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination, who on Wednesday squared off in a debate in Arizona, oppose such a plan because they say it would provide amnesty for lawbreakers.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/02/23/obama-pushes-congress-to-make-dream-act-priority-in-2012/#ixzz1nJp4jlpR

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WHICH LEADING HISPANICS WILL ADVISE PRESIDENT OBAMA ON LATINO VOTE?

THE HISPANIC BLOG BY JESSICA MARIE GUTIERREZ

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Prominent Hispanics from across the United States, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Texas Rep. Charles A. González and actress Eva Longoria, are among a group of 35 individuals who will advise Barack Obama in his bid for re-election in November, the president’s campaign team said Wednesday in a statement.

This group of national “co-chairs” of Obama’s 2012 campaign will “serve as ambassadors for the president, advise the campaign on key issues, and help engage and mobilize voters in all 50 states,” the statement said.

They include leading Latinos such as the mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro; the executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Maria Elena Durazo; Texas Congressman Charles A. González; the U.S. transportation secretary from 1993-1997 and U.S. energy secretary from 1997-1998, Federico Peña; and actress Eva Longoria.

Other co-chairs of the president’s re-election campaign will include Bill Daley, who served as Obama’s chief of staff from January 2011 to January 2012; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; and author and president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Caroline Kennedy.

“The president’s national co-chairs will be tremendous assets on the ground as we build the biggest grassroots campaign in history,” Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, said in the statement.

“They each share the president’s vision for a future where every American can have a fair shot at success, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded.”

The co-chairs “are proud of the president’s record and leadership in rebuilding the economy after the worst economic crisis in generations,” the campaign statement said.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/02/22/hispanic-leaders-to-advise-obama-on-re-election-bid/

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