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It’s hard to
believe that it took over 130 years (1872-2005) to
get a Latino elected mayor again in the city of Los
Angeles. Antonio Villaraigosa’s ability to bring
together all factions of the community and create
coalitions of citizens of diverse backgrounds and
ethnic origins played a large part in his successful
bid. Now he has a tough task ahead of him. He will
need to address many crucial issues. Transportation,
education, economic development, jobs, safety, the
environment—you name it. And of course, Los Angeles
is at the epicenter of the immigration debate. Mr.
Mayor, you have your work cut out for you!
Villaraigosa’s election reinforces the fact that
Latinos are playing an increasingly important role
in national and local politics. I have been amazed
at how our community has responded to the
aspirations of these candidates. We are encouraged
by the fact that Villaraigosa enlisted a wide group
of women supporters including California Sen. Gloria
Romero, Dolores Huerta, and Los Angeles Supervisor
Gloria Molina. We hope this support will translate
into a number of Latinas receiving appointments to
his administration.
Every year at this time, we take an in-depth look at
the status of Latina health. In this issue we are
profiling some of the efforts corporate America is
undertaking to better serve our communities. In
health as I believe it is in education, corporate
involvement will be essential to successfully
address the many issues we are facing. Singing star
Soraya, whose battle with cancer has given her a
unique perspective on how to face adversity, graces
our cover. Her beautiful face doesn’t give a hint of
the ordeal that she has gone through. Her kind of
courage abounds in Latinas facing health crises. But
not everything needs to be a crisis. Many health
catastrophes are preventable with education.
Diabetes is one of these. With proper care, this
illness can be managed and needs not to be a
crippling disease. Read our guide—it should help you
better understand your illness.
We invite you to sort out the impact a new Social
Security program will have on Latinas. Remember,
Latinas outlive their male counterparts by at least
seven years, and Social Security will be of great
importance to your living standard. Congresswoman
Grace Napolitano and U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo
Cabral present both sides of the issue.
Finally, we were honored to have received a Special
Achievement Award from the U.S. Small Business
Administration in recognition of the work that
LATINA Style does through the Business Series
to address the needs of women entrepreneurs. Since
the launching of this program in 1998, over 10,000
Latinas have participated in the program. Come join
us at the next event!
Robert E. Bard |
