Washington's Voz - The 25 most influential Hispanics

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The 25 most influential Hispanics

Anthony Romero

AFP
08/19/05

Actresses Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek, and A.C.L.U.'s executive director Anthony Romero are among the 25 most influential Hispanics in America according to Time magazine.

“Spanish has become the U.S.'s de facto second language, Nuevo Latino has taken its rightful place in haute cuisine, the sounds of rock en Español and reggaeton have filtered up the charts,” the magazine said.

The list includes politicians such as Los Angeles major Antonio Villaraigosa and New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson, film directors such as Robert Rodríguez, fashion designers like Narciso Rodríguez, journalist Jorge Ramos, activists Pedro Alvarado, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzáles.

Anthony Romero is the ACLU's sixth executive director, and the first Latino and openly gay man to serve in that capacity.

The diversity of the list shows that “more than any of their immigrant predecessors, Hispanics defy easy categorization. Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans and Argentine Americans may all speak the same language, but many wouldn't dream of standing under the same cultural umbrella.” At any rate, the selection represents a group that “ promise to help remake America in the 21st century as vitally as African Americans did in the 20th.”