9 for the ‘90s : Be They 9 or 89, Individuals Harbor Strong Ideas About What the Future Holds : Passing the Baton

Carmen O. Perez, 49, a political mover and shaker in the Latino community, says she is looking forward to “passing on the banner of political activism” to a younger generation in the 1990s.

“We have to double our efforts in the next decade,” she says of efforts to increase the political empowerment and education for Latinos in Los Angeles and nationwide.

As vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee and assistant chief deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, Perez will be leading the way. But she predicts the struggle won’t be easy.

“California has 466 Latino officeholders,” says Perez, the mother of four grown children. “We have 3,360 Latinos in offices nationwide, and we have seen the Latino voting-age population grow over 2% in the decade of the 1980s.

“But still that is not enough. We need to move ahead and get candidates elected to all offices. That’s why we cannot sit out the 1990s.”

Her goals? Besides getting more Latinos elected to city, county, state and national offices, she wants to see a reduction in the high Latino school-dropout rate because “our success in the next decade will depend heavily on education.”

She believes the opportunities will be plentiful for Latinos nationwide in politics, education and employment: “We have young, wonderful, talented, articulate individuals in the Hispanic community--talented young men and women with master’s degrees, degrees they know are going to help them and their community.”

Perez says that Latinos in the political process--from grass-roots efforts to legislative officeholders--view the ‘90s as the springboard for greater accomplishments in their community; “giving back” to the barrio will be a key goal for Latinos in the next decade.

“We enter the future decade a lot wiser from past experiences,” Perez says, “and ready to contribute to our neighborhoods and strengthen our families even more because the 1980s proved to us that we could get together, that we could get organized and make a difference.”

But she says the challenge for Latinos in the 1990s will be to hold on to their political gains and advance themselves in other areas, such as education, jobs and life style: “We have the numbers. Our efforts in voter registration prove it. The Latino population will continue to grow, and issues such as redistricting will be among the most important and vital to our community.”

The 1990s, she predicts, will produce “increased leadership, and there is no doubt that education will be the key to this process for a community that is diverse, thriving, strong and definitely a part of the American dream.”