EthnicMajority

(Huffington Post) With all the attention that New York Giants' emerging star receiver, Victor Cruz, is receiving these days — both for being a local New Jersey boy 'done good', and for his effusive salsa dancing in the end zone — people may forget that the NFL has been home to many great Latino players, including a good number of Hall of Famers and a couple of Super Bowl stars.

For starters, this weekend's super match pits two boricuas, Cruz with the NY Giants, and his New England Patriots' counterpart, tight end Aaron Hernández. Either could be breakout stars and be key to their team's victory.

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(Washington Post) Once thought to have a potential liability in appealing to Hispanics, Mitt Romney appears to have overcome his doubters.

One of Romney’s more remarkable turnarounds in the Florida primary between 2008 and 2012 was among the state’s many Hispanic voters. While he increased his vote share overall by 12 points, from 31 percent to 43 percent, he increased his performance among Hispanics by 40, from 14 percent in 2008 to 54 percent on Tuesday, according to exit polls.

That’s a pretty huge improvement, but how much does it mean going forward?

In reality, Romney’s tiny share of the Hispanic vote in 2008 seemed to be at least partially about who he was running against, versus any issues Hispanics had with him.

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(Los Angeles Times) LMFAO’s head-pounding “Party Rock Anthem” pulsated through North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre as a multiracial group of young performers stormed the stage, promising in song to provide a lively evening of laughs. They then launched into a rapid-fire parade of sketches filled with gleeful raunch and pokes at racial stereotypes.

The performance had the usual trappings of a night out at any comedy club around town. But little about this invitation-only night was typical. The actors, writers and directors were all amateur, and they were mostly people of color — young blacks, Latinos, Asians, Indians — performing original material they had helped to develop before a crowd of managers, agents and creative executives from major networks and studios.

The event marked the culmination of this year’s CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase, an annual talent forum that also functions as a three-month boot camp designed to boost the chances of minorities hoping to land roles on TV comedies and dramas.

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(Huffington Post) The battle between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney for the allegiance of Florida's 450,000 Hispanic Republican primary voters has exposed one of the great myths surrounding the "Latino vote": despite their shared ethnicity, Hispanics are far from monolithic, politically. True, most do generally swing Democratic, but the range of that swing can vary sharply, depending on the candidate and the issues.

President Obama took 67 percent of the Latino vote in 2008, compared with 31 percent for John McCain. However, in 2004 George W. Bush won reelection with a record 44 percent of the Latino vote.

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(Huffington Post) The Republican Party is beefing up its minority outreach nationwide and preparing to put its rising Latino stars on the campaign trail amid concerns that tough immigration rhetoric in the presidential primary is taking on an increasingly anti-Hispanic tone.

But immigrant-rights groups and some political watchers say the damage may be irreversible. They argue that the GOP has severely hampered itself as it looks to woo the critical Latino voting bloc that could decide who wins key states like New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida next fall.

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(Huffington Post) Once upon a time stars Anglicized their names to appeal to a broader market. A Mexican-American musician, most famous for the early rock-and-roll hit La Bamba, changed his name from Richard Valenzuela to Ritchie Valens at the encouragement of record executives. Charlie Sheen was born Carlos Estevez. Anthony Quinn was once Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca.

But more and more it seems celebrities are changing their names to be more appealing to their audiences by reinforcing their Hispanic heritage. Journalist Geraldo Rivera used to be Gerald, and Carlos Mencia? His real name is Ned!

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(Boston Globe) President Obama is well positioned to repeat his strong performance with Hispanic voters one year before the 2012 election, according to a new Univision News/Latino Decisions poll.

In head-to-head matchups with the top three GOP presidential candidates, Obama holds substantial leads that exceed a two-to-one margin in every case. Latino voters prefer Obama 67 percent to 24 percent over Mitt Romney, 65 percent to 22 percent over Herman Cain, and 68 percent to 21 percent over Rick Perry.

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(USAToday) Pastors are preaching, Bibles are being read and churchgoers are singing.

In Spanish.

While the Catholic church is still the principal religion for Latinos, a growing number are bucking tradition and moving toward evangelism — particularly among the younger generation.

"My mother is so Catholic," said Jose Rosales, 55. "She tripped out when she found out. She and my aunt said, 'Oh, great; now you're a Hallelujah.' "

About 23 percent, or 9.5 million of 41 million Latinos in the U.S. in 2004, identified themselves as Protestants or other Christians, according to statistics compiled by Gastn Espinosa, an assistant professor of religious studies at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.

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(Miami Herald) It’s time to recognize the talent pool we have right here in America, putting an end to minority statistics that may soon be more fairytale than truth. Especially in Florida where the Hispanic population is outperforming other states in college degree attainment levels.

Florida’s business schools, particularly Miami-Dade College, are being recognized nationally for their cutting-edge programs and for graduating among the highest numbers of Hispanics. Not only are these Hispanics brushing up on their business skills, but, according to recent studies by Florida State University’s Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, they are proving to be digital innovators and significantly expanding their online presence. Compared to other groups, Hispanics were the most likely to own and manage their own online businesses, blogs and websites.

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(QSR Magazine) The franchise business model is an attractive option for Hispanics and other minorities to consider owning, because it is a strong avenue to take for financial success. According to the 2007 Franchised Business Ownership survey conducted by the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Educational Foundation, minorities made up 19.3 percent of all franchisees, and Hispanic-owned franchises were 5.8 percent of the total. And the survey reported that Hispanic franchisees prefer owning quick-serve restaurants.

The quick-service industry should see this as an excellent opportunity to tap into the Hispanic demographic, and minorities in general. The Hispanic population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, makes up 15.1 percent of the population. It is estimated that this figure will double by the year 2050. Statistically, Hispanics are the fastest-growing population in the U.S.

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