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• 02 / 13 / 2009

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During the opening of a forum to debate the significance of Latin American presence in that country, the president of the institution, poet and essayist Roberto Fernandez Retamar, noted that Latinos are the largest minority with the highest growth in the US.

According to statistics, Latinos represent 14 percent of the US population, with over 40 million people, and it’s estimated that by the mid 21st century, one out of every four US citizens will be of Latino descent.

Over five years ago, Casa noted the need to encourage studies on this demographic, cultural, and political phenomenon, and back in 1997 it gave its first extraordinary prize for Spanish language literature written in the US.

The prize has returned this year with the purpose of boosting books written in Spanish or in English by Latino scholars living in the United States.

A panel made up by the judges of this important award spoke about the current situation of such studies in the US. In this regard, Puerto Rican researcher Roberto Marquez said that, until the 1960’s, Latinos in the US were seen as a problem for that society.

However they haven’t been able to assimilate them, added Marquez. Latinos haven’t lost their vitality to grow in their economic, social, and political strength, and it’s estimated that for the year 2050 there will be 100 million Latinos in the US.

For his part, Cuban Antonio Aja, director of the program, focused on the reasons and purposes of this type of studies, as well as on the need of convening young people to take on this challenge.

Seminars, workshops, and symposiums will be organized with this purpose, and the issuing of Casa’s extraordinary prize will probably be more frequent, added Aja.

Felix Masud-Piloto, who heads the Center for Latino Research in the United States, explained that his country doesn’t want to acknowledge the enormous diversity of Latin Americans and the great ignorance that exists on issues like the colonial status of Puerto Ricans, without representation in the US government.

A dozen personalities from several nations met recently as judges, and the Casa Prizes will be announced on Wednesday, within the framework of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the prestigious institution.

(Cubarte)