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Washington, D.C. – Senior officials from President Joe Biden’s administration have called on local Hispanic media to communicate the work accomplished during this term to elevate Latinos above the “noise” and “disinformation” in this election year.
In a meeting on Wednesday with members of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) at the White House, Tom Pérez, Biden’s advisor and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, lamented “the disconnect between what we have been achieving and people’s awareness of those achievements,” according to information from EFE News Agency.
Pérez, one of the president’s most senior advisors, sought the support of Hispanic media (mostly in Spanish) to disseminate information about policies benefiting the Latino community through local press “that reaches corner stores and neighborhood shops.”
“If your grandmother only has to pay $25 for her insulin, very few people know that it’s thanks to Joe Biden and the Inflation Reduction Act,” Pérez pointed out.
“We need you to reach the communities where Latinos are across the country. Especially in those places where mainstream media doesn’t reach, but you do,” said Xavier Becerra, United States Secretary of Health.
The NAHP board is chaired by Álvaro Gurdián; Iván Adame, vice president; Pedro de Armas, membership vice president; Marcos Marín, marketing vice president; Ricardo Hurtado, sales vice president; Evelyn Castro, secretary; John Heaston, treasurer, as well as regional directors and sub-directors: José Somalo, Lina Gómez, Clemente Nicado, Cris Martinez, Will Medina, José Zepeda, Zulema Tijero, Ana Bringas, Brian Taylor, José Luis B Garza, and Jesús Sánchez Mileán.
The NAHP, which is currently holding its legislative assembly in Washington, has represented dozens of Hispanic and Spanish-language media outlets since 1982, with a combined circulation of more than 23 million people across various states in the United States, many of which are pivotal in this election year.
Officials meeting with NAHP members today also included Elizabeth de León, Deputy Secretary of Administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Kirabo Jackson, a member of Biden’s economic team, and Eric Morrisette, Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Commerce and Minority Business Development.
“Our responsibility is to reach everyone in the country and help create wealth for Hispanic communities, Black communities, and all those who have faced disadvantages nationwide,” said Morrisette, who noted that Latinos can benefit from entrepreneurship funding programs.
De León noted that discrimination in access to housing persists in this country, and “the challenges faced by Latino communities in buying a home persist.”
Officials emphasized topics of interest to Hispanic audiences, such as health, housing, inflation, wages, and the development of small businesses.
Jackson stressed the importance of explaining that in the case of inflation, one of the major issues raised by voters this year, it is important to remember that Hispanic wages are rising around 4% due to the policies of this administration, above the national average and above inflation.
Following a special visit to the White House by a select group of editorialists and organization members, NAHP President Álvaro Gurdián expressed pride in the team that achieved a successful annual legislative summit in the nation’s capital. As an organized group, significant progress has been made, demonstrating the strength of the group, and efforts are underway to continue with endeavors that allow greater access to federal and state support tools for Latino media organized in the United States.
NAHP, Inc. is a non-partisan trade advocacy organization representing the leading Spanish language publications serving 41markets in 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with a combined circulation of over 23 million.
