Los Americanos

In late June, FocusWest brought Latino and Hispanic leaders from Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and beyond to the IdahoPTV studios in Boise, ID. The result of our conversations is LOS AMERICANOS, the television program which aired July 2003, and this website, with its rich variety of exclusive studio, interview, and online materials.

Here's what some of our guests had to say:

"I think people are beginning to realize that America stretches from Argentina to Canada. We're all Americans. We're all after the same objectives, the same goals. We all want a great life."  Peter Padilla

"Normally we avoid talking about some of these critical issues . . . . I think as one can sense the emotions that rise, we look at the change that really reflects perhaps a second birth of this nation. There is pain, but it is not in a bad sense, or a negative sense."  Judge Sergio Gutierrez

"In the past we have all been encouraged to assimilate, and in that struggle and race to assimilate to the American culture, we forget that we were once immigrants too, that our parents came possibly from another country."  Josefina Estrada

"I want you to see the color of my skin, I want you to look around you and notice the diversity, notice the richness of who we are as individuals. I would suggest that to anyone else who thinks or says they are 'color-blind' -- because you are missing out on a lot by being 'color-blind.'" Estella Zamora

"My message for Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada is that persons are more important than ideas. Persons are more important than business, sorry. Persons are the most important resource any country has." Father José de Jesús Camacho

Begin with a holistic view of the issues surrounding opportunities, cultures, bilingual education, and mentoring new immigrants, or start with a more a specific focus: education and workforce issues in Wyoming, the importance of mentoring in Idaho, or the challenges of pursuing opportunity in Reno.

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