Forging Latino Power: The Politics of Inclusion, Backlash, and Resistance

Forging Latino Power Praise

“Forging Latino Power is a major contribution to Latina/o political science. With their unique ringside views and firsthand experiences in helping shape what they call the “Latina/o political empowerment project,” Ayón and Pla have established themselves as the preeminent scholars of Latina/o American political development. To understand the historical and contemporary ebbs and flows of progressive Latina/o politics, read this book!”

—Chris Zepeda-Millán, UCLA Labor Studies Program Chair, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Chicana/o & Central American Studies, Strategic Research Lab Faculty Director, author of Latino Mass Mobilization: Immigration, Racialization, and Activism

“Forging Latino Power spotlights the changemakers who have taken brave steps to speak up for Latino communities and have used their newfound political power to right the wrongs of history, creating generational change for marginalized communities in the process. The political landscape has been forever changed for the better because of the inclusion of Latino voices. I thank George and David for taking up the task to document and share this history.” 

—Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles

“Forging Latino Power is a testament to the enduring strength, vision, and influence of Latino leaders in American democracy. From their unique insider vantage point, Ayón and Pla illuminate the strategies and unwavering courage with which Latinos have insisted on justice, resisted marginalization, and persisted in shaping the nation's future. This compelling work is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the heart of US history and the promise of its political future. 

—G. Cristina Mora, Chancellor's Professor of Sociology, Co-Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California Berkeley, and author of Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American

“For a rising generation of Latinos, this book is a mirror, a map, and a movement—all in one. It’s a bold, unapologetic celebration of Latino identity, civic rise, and resistance in the face of exclusion. For every young person who has ever felt unseen or underestimated, this book says: you belong in the rooms where decisions are made.”

—Dr. Mike Muñoz, Superintendent-President, Long Beach City College

“As a Mexican diplomat who has had the privilege of serving in California over the past three decades, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable evolution of Latino political power in this state, its growing impact on the national stage, and its critical role in US-Mexico relations. With clarity, depth, and historical perspective, George Pla and David Ayón once again deliver a landmark book. Forging Latino Power is a compelling chronicle of how Latino political influence has taken shape, adapted, and expanded. It is also a timely reminder that progress is never linear. As this powerful narrative reveals, every advance has been hard-won, every breakthrough met with backlash, and every setback answered with renewed determination and audacity. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the evolving role of Latinos in American democracy.”

—Ambassador Carlos González Gutiérrez, Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles

“Forging Latino Power is an exquisitely nuanced follow-up to the seminal book, Power Shift. Once again, Pla and Ayón skillfully remind their audience of the possibilities that exist within and across the Latino political, ideological, generational, and demographic diaspora. In this compelling narrative, the authors highlight the critical convergences of opportunity and acts of informed resistance that continue to define the ongoing political evolution of Latinas/os, underscoring their growing influence and enduring promise for the future of the American enterprise.”

—Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Chancellor of the University of California Merced

“Forging Latino Power is an important new book, meticulously tracing the rise of Latino political empowerment from its complex rural and urban lineages in California to its florescence in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The authors take us from farm-labor organizing and consumer boycotts to immigration reforms and voting rights in the diverse sites throughout the United States that forged Latino political power.”

—Ramón A. Gutiérrez, MacArthur Fellow, Professor Emeritus of US History at the University of Chicago, coeditor, The New Latino Studies Reader: A Twenty-First Century Perspective

“Forging Latino Power analyzes the growth of Latino political organization and power, from the nation’s earliest days through the fulcrum of the post-war and civil rights eras, to show the generations of leaders who have made Latino politics a reality, initially at the community level and, increasingly, at the state and national levels. Non-Latino candidates and officeholders take a snapshot of Latino concerns every two or four years to explain the political world of Latinos; Ayón and Pla identify the long-term cycles of political organization in Latino communities to show patterns that transcend a single election. Central to their story is a keen understanding of the role of community-based leadership in building the foundations for national Latino politics that unites migrants from throughout the Americas and their US-born descendants.”

—Louis DeSipio, Professor of Chicano/Latino Studies and Political Science, University of California Irvine

“At a time when the political allegiance of Latinos is being contested and questioned—with a notable drift to the right now being stalled by the mass deportations that the Latino vote helped make happen—along comes this remarkable and comprehensive volume. Expertly weaving detailed history, structural analysis, and personal stories, Ayón and Pla remind us that Latino political identity has always been under construction. They argue convincingly that the distinctly progressive cast so many associate with Latino communities was the product of a particular time, a particular place, and a particular set of leaders—and it will require work to resurrect and fortify. Highly recommended for everyone interested in the future of Latino politics and American democracy.”

—Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, University of Southern California, and author of State of Resistance: What California's Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Mean for America's Future