The Latinx voter has transformed the U.S. electoral landscape. As the number of constituents who identify as Hispanic grows, so do the questions surrounding their role in the ever changing world of American politics. How did this fundamentally diverse group become a voting bloc? Can it be considered a unified, nationwide constituency? Join our panel of experts: Professor Benjamin Francis-Fallon of Western Carolina University, Prof. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto of the University of Texas at Austin, Prof. José Cruz of SUNY Albany, and CT Reps. Cristopher Rosario and Geraldo Reyes of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, as they discuss the rise of the Latino vote.
Moderated by Prof. Charles Venator Santiago of the UConn Department of Political Science.
This program is co-sponsored by UConn’s El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies, and the Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House.
Prof. Venator-Santiago received his Ph.D., from the University of Massachusetts in 2002. Now, he is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut, where he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Political Science and El Instituto. He currently manages the Puerto Rico Citizenship Archives Project and the American Samoa Nationality and Citizenship Archives Project. He teaches courses on U.S. territorial law and policy, Public Law, Latinx Politics, immigration law and politics, and political theory.
Benjamin Francis-Fallon is Associate Professor of History and Director of Social Sciences Education at Western Carolina University. His prize-winning first book, The Rise of the Latino Vote: A History (Harvard University Press, 2019), examines how elected officials and party insiders attempted to forge Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans into a nationwide political constituency, a process that proved pivotal to defining Latina/o identity in the United States. He held postdoctoral research fellowships at Southern Methodist University’s Clements Center for Southwest Studies and at American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies.
José E. Cruz is a professor of political science and Latino Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research is about Latino political participation in the Northeast, focusing on Puerto Ricans, and about the role and impact of ethnicity in the political process. His publications include, “Identity and Power: Puerto Rican Politics and the Challenge of Ethnicity” (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), “Liberalism and Identity Politics: Puerto Rican Community Organization and Collective Action in New York City” (New York: Centro Press, 2019), and “Puerto Rican Identity, Political Development, and Democracy in New York, 1960-1990” (Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield 2017).
Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr. represents the 75th Assembly District of Waterbury in the Connecticut House of Representatives, where he is Deputy Majority Leader. In addition, Rep. Reyes serves as the current Vice-Chair of the Connecticut Legislative Black & Puerto Rican Caucus, which formed in 1976 to promote and assist minorities in becoming more actively involved in the political process. Rep. Reyes has received countless community service awards, including: the Waterbury Observer’s Best Community Activist in 2014 and 2015, and LUPA’s 2014 Top 50 Most Influential Latinos in Connecticut.
Victoria DeFrancesco Soto is the Assistant Dean of Civic Engagement at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. Named one of the top 12 scholars in the country by Diverse magazine Victoria previously taught at Northwestern University and Rutgers and received her Ph.D. in political science from Duke University. Victoria’s social scientific areas of expertise include immigration, Latinos, women, racial and ethnic minority politics, as well as political psychology. She has previously provided on-air analysis for CNN, Fox, PBS, Univision, NPR and has appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.
Rep. Christopher Rosario represent the 128th Assembly District, which covers the East Side and Hollow Neighborhoods in Bridgeport, CT. He currently serves as Deputy Speaker, and on the Appropriations, Insurance and Real Estate, and Transportation Committees. He is the former Chair of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, and also serves on The Hispanic Heritage Committee, which celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month in Bridgeport by coordinating activities, events, and workshops which promote the rich culture and traditions of Latin American countries.
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