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By Rocio Gonzalez, Voxxi

TIME Magazine’s issue on the 100 most influential people in the world is one of the TIME editions I most look forward to every year.

There’s no doubt this list is carefully and meticulously compiled every year. And what a very difficult decision that must be—to choose only the 100 most influential individuals from such a vast pool of candidates.

It is quite interesting to see how trends shift from year to year. Last year, for example, it was the year of Jessica Chastain. This year, it’s cover girl Jennifer Lawrence, who took the Oscar away from Chastain earlier this year. When it comes to leaders, Sen. Marco Rubio is out and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is in.

In 2012, Latin America had four entries in the 100 most influential people list: Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Brazilians Eike Batista and Maria das Graças Silva Foster, and Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi. When it came to Hispanics making a difference in the U.S., there were three entries: Dreamer Dulce Matuz, Rubio and Spanish chef Jose Andrés.

Only three included in TIME’s 100 most influential: Is it them or is it us?

This year, the most influential Hispanics in the U.S. are, again, three: Martinez, singer Miguel and Pastor Wilfredo de Jesús. Entries from Latin America are Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Brazilian Joaquim Benedito Barbosa Gomes.

Does it say something about TIME, or does that say something about us that only three Hispanics in the U.S. made it to the list this year and last?

It’s fair to say things aren’t quite the same as they were last year. For example, there were two Latinos in the Obama cabinet, now there’s only Thomas Perez waiting to see if the Senate will confirm him as secretary of labor. And that came only after many organizations requested that President Barack Obama named Latinos to his cabinet when things began to look a little bland. But there is slightly more Latino power in Congress: take for instance Sen. Ted Cruz, who has certainly been a controversial figure, being called the new Sen. McCarthy.

Not to mention, it is looking very likely that this year will see the biggest immigration policy overhaul since the Reagan Administration, and that is being pushed by some very influential legislators, which include Rubio, Sen. Robert Menendez, Rep. Luis Gutierrez and others.

So why is it that the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. is so poorly represented in a list that highlights the 100 most influential people? 

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Rocio Gonzalez is a writer in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she is an avid reader, amateur baker & journalism graduate from American University in Washington.

[Photo by Albuquerque Public Schools]

By Griselda Nevarez, Voxxi

The Dreamers’ movement is more powerful and stronger than ever before–and Time magazine thinks so too. This year, the magazine lists Dreamers as one of the 40 candidates being considered for “Person of the Year.”

The list also includes political figures such as President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton. It also includes activists, Olympic gold medalists and foreign leaders. However, it doesn’t include any Latinos.

The magazine notes that Dreamers proved this year they are a force to be reckoned with. They mobilized to convince President Barack Obama to protect undocumented youth from deportation and give them work permits through deferred action.

It also notes that “an invisible population” stepped forward and came out of the shadows on June 15, the day Obama announced the deferred action program. The plight of dreamers and the president’s move to grant undocumented youth deferred action also mobilized Latino and Asian voters to cast their ballots in favor of the president.

This is not the first time that the magazine acknowledges dreamers. In June, Time magazine published an article titled “Inside the World of the ‘Illegal’ Immigrant.” The article, written by undocumented journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, spotlights the growing immigration-rights movement and features the faces of several dreamers.

Dreamers deserve to be named ‘Person of the Year’

Among those featured in the June article was Julieta Garibay, a Dreamer who has been advocating for legislation like the DREAM Act that would pave a pathway to citizenship for dreamers since 2005.

Garibay told VOXXI Dreamers deserve to be named “Person of the Year” not only because of their hard work this year but also because of the decade-long climb it’s taken to achieve something like deferred action.

“Our movement is stronger than it’s ever been but it’s taken years to get to this point,” she told VOXXI. “We have grown so much over the years and have redefined what undocumented means.”

She added that Dreamers were able to build political power this year despite their legal status and inability to vote. One of the ways they did that, she said, is through the “I am a DREAM voter” campaign in which Dreamers registered and encouraged voters to vote for candidates who favor a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and their families.

“We reshaped and redefined what it means to be politically powerful,” she told VOXXI.

The Time magazine’s editors will have the last word on who is chosen as “Person of the Year.” However, readers can also have a say on who is chosen by casting their vote for the candidate they think has been most influential.

As of Wednesday, 52 percent of the votes cast were in favor of Dreamers being named “Person of the year” while 48 percent opposed the idea.

Voting will close at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 12. The winner will be announced on Dec. 14.

To vote for Dreamers as Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ click here.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Griselda Nevárez is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service in Washington D.C.

[Photo by  paulinaclemente]

By Jose Cruz, Our Tiempo

Time magazine may have launched the first national referendum on the debate over what to do with the undocumented population in the united states. As always, TIME’s editors will choose the Person of the Year, but that doesn’t mean readers won’t have their say.

“Undocumented Immigrants” are on the ballot and the vote would place them on the prestigious cover page.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 12, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 14.

VOTE HERE

This article was first published in Our Tiempo.

Jose Cruz is a Puerto Rican/Irish multi-city/multi-hat guru at OurTiempo.com. An online entrepreneur, Jose is the in house editor and writer. With a background in politics and a career that includes a law degree, the Clinton White House and managing and developing websites geared at the Latino community, his tastes are as diverse as his work. Just at home diving into a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to munching on a Fish Taco in East LA. Twitter: @JoseCruz2000

[Photo by NewsTaco]

By Roque Planas, Huffington Post Latino Voices

This year Latinos helped swing a presidential election, spoke at prime time spots during both party conventions, and emerged as one of the most coveted voter groups in the country.

But all that’s hard to notice from a glance at Time Magazine’s selection of “Person of the Year 2012.” As NBC Latino points out, there’s no Latino candidate on this year’s list, with the exception of “undocumented immigrants.”

Last year “The Protester” took the award, a clear choice in a year of protest movements around the globe, including Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street.

An invisible population stepped forward on June 15, 2012, to stake its claim to the American Dream. On that day, President Obama declared that certain undocumented immigrants — a group simply labeled “illegal” by many — would not be subjected to deportation, under broad-ranging conditions.

So far, the undocumented’s prospects don’t look so good. The candidate placed 17th out of 40 as of…

READ MORE HERE

This article was first published in Huffington Post Latino Voices.

[Image courtesy Sarapailintruthsquad]