In 1982, very soon after we formed the HPAC, I ran for City Council and later I ran for State Rep. What was in my mind at the time was that we needed to begin to create the idea within the Hispanic community that it is possible to run for office. To me it was not just a matter of whether we won or lost. It was the education. That’s what I did. And so I went into it and I raised awareness and people began to ask themselves: "Why not?" And I responded: Why not!
When I ran [for office], I ran as a Republican, and this is how that happened: I attended a conference in Washington D.C. and I heard many very outstanding speakers talk about how the minority community can be more effective in politicking the United Stated, and I heard a particular black speaker who addressed the issue of loyalty, party loyalty. And I was listening very carefully because he said something that stuck in my head from that time on. He said, you know, if you really look closely you would find out that most of the minority community in the United States identify primarily with the Democratic Party. This is because of tradition, and also because of the issues that the Democratic Party is supposed to represent, it’s the working class and this and that. But, to put all your eggs in one basket is a mistake, because they will take you for granted and if you say that you are just loyal to that party, then they are not going to pay attention to your demands, because you have nowhere else to go. He said we are going to be better if we begin to evolve from that and think that if we do play the game with the Republican Party, then the Democrats will not be able to take us for granted. And I saw that reality here very clearly.
When I ran [for office], I ran as a Republican, and this is how that happened: I attended a conference in Washington D.C. and I heard many very outstanding speakers talk about how the minority community can be more effective in politicking the United Stated, and I heard a particular black speaker who addressed the issue of loyalty, party loyalty. And I was listening very carefully because he said something that stuck in my head from that time on. He said, you know, if you really look closely you would find out that most of the minority community in the United States identify primarily with the Democratic Party. This is because of tradition, and also because of the issues that the Democratic Party is supposed to represent, it’s the working class and this and that. But, to put all your eggs in one basket is a mistake, because they will take you for granted and if you say that you are just loyal to that party, then they are not going to pay attention to your demands, because you have nowhere else to go. He said we are going to be better if we begin to evolve from that and think that if we do play the game with the Republican Party, then the Democrats will not be able to take us for granted. And I saw that reality here very clearly.
Even though we [as a community] weren’t involved fully in the political process, I did notice how here the Minority community was so involved with the Democrats, yet, at that point in time, I [saw no Minorities] anywhere in power. I wondered, 'Why is that?' and realized that it was because we [the Minority community] were being taken for granted. So it was then that I decided that was not going to happen in the Hispanic community, and if I can do anything about it, I will. I knew that it meant political suicide. It meant being ostracized so to speak.
As I said, this was very educational to me. It’s a matter of principle, and the Hispanic community would only be gaining a lot by adopting this type of philosophy. My philosophy is that I don’t like to just be "all talk," but to be an example. So then I presented the idea to the political committee, and after discussion, we determined that the HPAC was not going to be partisan committee, it was going to be bipartisan. So we then invited Republicans, Democrats and Independents to become part of the committee.
On a personal note, I will say that felt I represented the "Republicanism" and not necessarily the ideology of the Republican Party. By that, I mean that when I started to share my ideology on why I chose to run as a Republican, many people believed that they reflected my religious beliefs and not necessarily my political beliefs. I will admit, however, that Religion did play a role in my decision [to run as a Republican] when I noticed that the Democratic Party was very openly pro-abortion, and I do not agree with that. It might have been near-sighted and narrow-minded, but to me it meant a lot and I felt more aligned with the Republican Party in that sense.
All that aside, however, the main reason [I ran as a Republican] was that I wanted the Hispanic community to realize that this is a two party system and when you really look closely enough there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two. Those in power are going to discriminate against [Hispanics] whether they are Republicans or Democrats. So why then put all your eggs in the Democratic basket? And people began to say, true. So we began to support different party politics. Republican candidates, Democratic candidates, and that was very effective, because we found ourselves all of a sudden with that much more power.
As I said, this was very educational to me. It’s a matter of principle, and the Hispanic community would only be gaining a lot by adopting this type of philosophy. My philosophy is that I don’t like to just be "all talk," but to be an example. So then I presented the idea to the political committee, and after discussion, we determined that the HPAC was not going to be partisan committee, it was going to be bipartisan. So we then invited Republicans, Democrats and Independents to become part of the committee.
On a personal note, I will say that felt I represented the "Republicanism" and not necessarily the ideology of the Republican Party. By that, I mean that when I started to share my ideology on why I chose to run as a Republican, many people believed that they reflected my religious beliefs and not necessarily my political beliefs. I will admit, however, that Religion did play a role in my decision [to run as a Republican] when I noticed that the Democratic Party was very openly pro-abortion, and I do not agree with that. It might have been near-sighted and narrow-minded, but to me it meant a lot and I felt more aligned with the Republican Party in that sense.
All that aside, however, the main reason [I ran as a Republican] was that I wanted the Hispanic community to realize that this is a two party system and when you really look closely enough there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two. Those in power are going to discriminate against [Hispanics] whether they are Republicans or Democrats. So why then put all your eggs in the Democratic basket? And people began to say, true. So we began to support different party politics. Republican candidates, Democratic candidates, and that was very effective, because we found ourselves all of a sudden with that much more power.
So the economic base is there. And then you have the numbers. What the new laws in immigration have done in regard to new immigrants, is that it has forced people to actually become citizens. At the beginning some people were trying to fight that as a racist type of thing, but it’s not. It was a good thing, because now, more than ever we have lots of people who can vote.
Juan Francisco
I believe I was the first Latino in Rhode Island to run for office (1982). [NOTE: Further research shows that in 1980, Manuel Rivera, a Puerto Rican from the Washington Park neighborhood, ran as a Democrat candidate for South Providence State Representative District 19, becoming the first Hispanic to run for office in Rhode Island]. Robert González was elected [as a delegate] to the Democratic Conference a few years later; I remember he ran and he was elected to that. As for other pioneers, there was Victor Mendóza, who today works for the state, José Alemán, who was the vice-principal of Central High School. Among the women who were in the forefront during the 1980s, there was Rosario Peña, Millie Gómez, Olga Noguera, and others.
As far as today’s Latino community what they now face, I think the issues we had then and now are basically the same, because those will always be the general issues. Education has and will always be an issue that never dies. Immigration reform, housing, and police brutality have not gone away. But I also think there’s something else, and that is that we have made our presence felt. And I think in that sense there’s a little bit more respect for Latinos today than there was in the early days. Today, we have more Latinos in the police force and other areas. We’re still blocked from certain areas, but that’s beginning to change now that we have elected a Latino Councilman. And I think that people for the first time in the Latino community are beginning to think about the idea of a Hispanic mayor.* I think about it all the time. I don’t think [about who it would actually be] right now, But I am counting the hours until a black or Hispanic comes up and says, ‘I want to go through it. I think that kind of issue should be supported whether it’s a Hispanic or a Black person, or whoever.’ But I think that Minorities are not opposed to making a difference, even on that level. You can’t walk through Providence without seeing a strong Hispanic business presence.They are all over the place. Our presence is here.
So the economic base is there. And then you have the numbers. What the new laws in immigration have done in regard to new immigrants, is that it has forced people to actually become citizens. In the beginning. some people were trying to fight that as a racist type of thing, but it’s not. It was a good thing, because now, more than ever we have lots of people who can vote. So, at least, I think we are now a deciding force in elections, and the evidence is not just simply the numbers. The politicians know they can no longer ignore [the numbers], it’s reflected in the decisions that are being made. Latinos are being strongly considered for the School Committee, people who had worked in the community, so many Hispanics are now there, whereas in the past, if you had one it was a big deal. And that I think is going to increase, and if any politicians want to survive politics and they ignore the power now of the Hispanics in the city, then I think that they do not know what they are doing. So, it’s a real thing that’s happened. Imagine when the Hispanic voters and the Black voters enter into an agreement? That’s possible I think. You know, that’s the way that the first Hispanic to be appointed to the School Board was selected, it was that way. It was a coalition between Blacks, Hispanics and others who got together and decided that the injustice had gone on long enough.
* NOTE: This interview was conducted in the Fall of 2000.
It's All Good
