By
José L. Castillo Atlanta, Sept. 20 - Three state governor's participated in the3rd annual Town Hall Meeting, "Empowering Hispanics: A Governor's Perspective," organized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Roy Barnes, Jane Hull and Don Siegelman, governors of the states of Georgia, Arizona and Alabama, respectively, spoke to about 200 people on the topics of migration, education and civil rights. Roy
Barnes said that Georgia's Hispanic population has grown considerably
in the last ten years, with a growth rate of 300%. He added that
in the next ten years, the state's Hispanic population will grow
another 12 percent, and in the next 20 years, it will grow by
25 percent. The governor said Latinos have achieved much, in spite of the difficulties immigrants face-not only cultural differences, but also the language barrier. "For this reason we have created the Commission on Hispanic Affairs that will help our government resolve the problems that affect the community," he said. Jane Hull, governor of Arizona, said that 25 percent of her state's population is of Hispanic origin, as are 50 percent of the public school students. "When we look at those numbers, we realize that we have to do something," she said. Don Siegelman, governor of Alabama, said that every child has the right to an education, regardless of race, origin or gender, and emphasized that the states need to educated their young people, regardless of legal status. Another topic discussed was offering drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. Barnes raised the possibility of addressing this problem in the next 12 to 18 months. Immigration was another of the themes of the afternoon. Hall mentioned that the government of Arizona is ready to agree to a program that helps the workers. (www.atlantalatino.com) |
|||||||||
