Latino Leaders Want Cash 'Donation' From NBC

Screenshot of NBC website article

A group of Latino leaders on Monday called on NBC and Tom Brokaw to do more to address Brokaw's appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," when he said Hispanics in the U.S. should "work harder at assimilation."

Tom Brokaw

According to The Hill, dozens of Latino leaders within politics, advocacy groups and the media wrote a letter asking that "Meet the Press" more regularly include Latinx voices on the program and that NBC makes a "significant contribution" to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

The letter also calls on Brokaw, "Meet the Press" and NBC to "better educate themselves about the diversity of the fastest growing demographic in the country, including putting resources behind a series that highlights the diverse and complicated history and contributions of the community in the U.S."

The letter, which was posted on Medium, is addressed to NBC President Robert Greenblatt, NBC News President Noah Oppenheim and "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd.

Brokaw took to Twitter on Sunday to apologize for his remarks, writing that he was "sorry, truly sorry, my comments were offensive to many."

my twitter acct failed me at the worst time.
i am sorry, truly sorry, my comments were offensive to
many. the great enduring american tradition of diversity is to be celebrated and cherished. yamiche, thank u for your comments.
let’s go forward together.

— Tom Brokaw (@tombrokaw) January 28, 2019

NBC News, facing mounting backlash stemming from Tom Brokaw's comments that Hispanics should "work harder at assimilation" into American culture, distanced the network from his "inappropriate" commentary. "Tom's comments were inaccurate and inappropriate and we're glad he apologized," an NBC spokesperson said Monday evening.

In Monday's letter, the Latino leaders called Brokaw's apology insufficient.

"Brokaw’s Sunday morning appearance featured comments that were completely unacceptable, and his subsequent tweets fell short of a real apology and acknowledgment of the extent of the ignorance of his comments," the letter reads.

The Latino leaders also called Brokaw's comments "more than just out-of-touch musings," saying that they are "part of a legacy of anti-Latino sentiment that is spreading freely in 2019." They also said that President Trump and the "right-wing media" have spread lies about the Latino community.

Here is the letter:

January 28, 2019

To: Steve Burke, President, NBCUniversal
cc: Andrew Lack, President, NBC News and MSNBC
cc: Chuck Todd, Host, Meet the Press
cc: Tom Brokaw, Special Correspondent, NBC News

As Latino leaders active in politics, social justice, and the media, we could not let Tom Brokaw’s xenophobic and uneducated comments pass by without comment. Brokaw’s Sunday morning appearance featured comments that were completely unacceptable, and his subsequent tweets fell short of a real apology and acknowledgment of the extent of the ignorance of his comments. We expect more from someone who has spent his career covering and studying American history and culture, which appears to have some significant gaps about the Latino, Latinx and Hispanic communities and experience in the United States.

Though he has apologized, we are asking that:

• Chuck Todd and Meet the Press production and booking team to integrate more regular and newer Latinx voices into the program to represent ourselves and our experiences;
• The network makes a significant contribution to National Association of Hispanic Journalists to continue cultivating the bench of diverse reporters and analysts; and
• Mr. Brokaw, Meet the Press and the network take actions to better educate themselves about the diversity of the fastest growing demographic in the country, including putting resources behind a series that highlights the diverse and complicated history and contributions of the community in the U.S.

For a man who claims to be a storyteller of American history, Brokaw’s comments did nothing more than repeat the ugly history of racist and xenophobic tropes that nearly every immigrant or ethnic group has had to endure. It is unacceptable that a major network news program would give a platform to one of their most well-respected personalities to repeat and extend these untrue and harmful stereotypes to Latinos. In California and Texas, Latinos submit more applications to college than any other racial group. By age five, English acquisition among U.S. born children of Latin American immigrants is 100%, higher than for previous waves of immigrants at the turn of the 20th century.

Our people and families come from places like Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, and Central America where decades of American foreign policy has lead to unsafe, unstable communities. We have had the courage to move, to seek freedom and opportunity in America. Our people and our families come from places like Puerto Rico- that in the 21st century, are still colonies of the United States — suffering from financial crisis and inattention in the face of increasing effects of climate change, without a fully democratic relationship with the mainland U.S. Our people and our families have inhabited the Southwest for many generations, since before manifest destiny was even a twinkle in the “settler’s” eyes. In fact, the 1911 Constitution of the State of New Mexico protected the right of its citizen to speak in English or Spanish. To assimilate means to be bilingual.

Indeed, we are a proud, diverse culture. Our food, music, and culture from the many countries we come from is woven into the tapestry of America. Despite decades of calls for assimilation, we have instead created the Latino American experience. Hispanic Americans are the quickest growing demographic in the country. Latinxs are proud multi-generational citizens and newly arrived immigrants, without whom this country could not run and surely would be less rich for our absence.

Mr. Brokaw’s comments are more than just out-of-touch musings. Mr. Brokaw’s comments are part of a legacy of anti-Latinx sentiment that is spreading freely in 2019. His comments were made at a time when the President and his allies in the right-wing media inflame his base by spreading lies about our community and he and his Administration have promulgated some of the most regressive anti-immigrant policies we have ever seen in this country. Not to mention, depictions of our community in popular culture continue to portray us in some of the most offensive terms.

Tom Brokaw’s comments also highlight another major oversight by NBC and Meet the Press: the consistent lack of representation of regular Latinx voices on the show. At a time when almost every week there are issues that are impacting this community disproportionately — immigration, political crisis in Venezuela and Central America, the impact of the Latino vote on politics in the U.S. — the network has done a woefully inadequate job of including more diverse voices that can speak about the current Latinx experience. It’s not for lack of a bench, there are plenty of operatives, reporters and analysts that could be more regular guests on the show, many have signed on to this letter.

We cannot let these comments pass. This has happened too many times and we will not let another egregious insult to our community go by without consequence. Our response to these xenophobic attacks will not be to hide or repress who we are or to be embarrassed or ashamed of our culture. To the contrary. We love this country. We are 100% American and 100% Latino. We are America, just the way we are.

Adrian Saenz, Senior Advisor, Latino Victory Project
Albert Romero
Alejandra Castañeda, Deputy Political Director, Priorities USA
Alejandra Gomez, Co-Executive Director, LUCHA
Alejandra Montoya Boyer
Alexa Kissinger, Associate, Jenner & Block LLP
Alfredo Gonzalez, Assistant Professor, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Alvaro Huerta, Ph.D., Faculty, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Amanda Alvarez
Amanda Renteria, Chairwoman, Emerge America
Ana Flores
Ana Z. Licona, Community Advocate
Andrea Marta, Executive Director, Faith in Action Fund
Andrea Mercado, Executive Director, New Florida Majority
Andrea R Flores, Attorney
Andrea Ramos, Training Manager, ACRONYM
Andres Chong-Qui Torres, Columbia University
Andrés Macias
Anna Sampaio, PhD, Associate Professor, Chair — Ethnic Studies Department, Santa Clara University
Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, NALEO
Atenogenes Villarreal
Beatriz Acevedo,President, Acevedo Foundation
Caitlin Opperman, Deputy Director of Training and Fellowships, Priorities USA
Carlos Cuéllar, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Carmen Lomellin, Ambassador (ret.)
Carmen Perez-Jordan, Executive Director, The Gathering for Justice
Carolina Rubio -MacWright, Immigration Attorney and Activist
Causten Rodriguez-Wollerman, Director of Partnerships, Demos
Celeste Vega, Proud Puerto Rican, Ivy League Graduate
Christian La Mont
Chuck Rocha, President, Solidarity Strategies
Clemson Smith Muñiz, President, Smith Muñiz Productions
Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, Executive Director, Jolt
Daisy Auger Dominguez
Daniel Castan, Attorney, Castan and Lecca PC
David C. Wilson, Senior Associate Dean, Social Sciences, University of Delaware
Dayhanna Acosta, Entrepreneur
Ed Morales, Author, Professor, Columbia University
Edward D. Vargas, PhD, MPH, Senior Analyst, Latino Decisions
Elis Ribeiro
Eneida I. DelValle
Estuardo Rodriguez, President and CEO, Friends of the American Latino Museum
Federico de Jesús, Principal, FDJ Solutions.
Francesca de Quesada Covey
Franco Caliz-Aguilar, Director of Political Strategy, Way To Win
Frankie A. Martínez Blanco, Associate Director, Strategy & Engagement
Frederick Pfaeffle Arana, Esq.
Gabriel R. Sanchez, Professor, UNM, & Principal, Latino Decisions
Gabriel Sandoval, Senior Counsel
Genny Castillo
George Soto, Scenic Designer, IATSE USA LOCAL 829
Georgie Aguirre-Sacasa, Consultant, Collective Strategies Group
Georgina C. Verdugo, Esq.
Gladys Esquivel, RN BSN
Hon. Lucy Flores, CEO, Luz Collective
Irene Sanchez, Ph.D., HS Latino Studies Teacher, Professor, and Poet, Bard College-Los Angeles
Jarred Cuellar, PhD Student/Latino Politics Scholar, University of Southern California
Jennifer Baykan
Jerónimo Saldaña
Jess Morales Rocketto
Jesse Aman
Joaquin Guerra, Founder, MasPower Group
Joe A Lopez, YN1, United States Navy (Retired)
Jose A. Solorio, Founder
José Dante Parra, CEO, ProsperoLatino
José Muñoz, Associate Professor, Cal State San Bernardino
Joshua Jessie González Wakefield, Multicultural Strategist
Juan Cartegena, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Julie Martinez Ortega, JD PhD, Director, Washington Office and Chief Data Scientist, Sandler Phillips Center
Karla Monterroso, CEO, Code2040
Katherine Archuleta
Kelly Macías, Ph.D.
Kenia Morales, Nevada State Director, America Votes
Kennia Leonely Coronado, PhD Student
Lainie Copicotto-Green, President & Founder, The GreenHouse MGMT & PR
Lalo Alcaraz, Editorial Cartoonist
Larry Gonzalez, Founding Principal, LatinStrategies/The Raben Group
Leo Cruz
Linda Stella Manus Diaz
Lisa Flavia Garcia
Lisa Hunter
Loida L Tapia, Director of the Office of Public Engagement, Michigan Department of State
Luis Avila, President, Iconico
Luis Melero, Public Health Advocacy Institute, Northeastern School of Law
MANUEL AVALOS, Professor, University of Southern Maine
Marco A. Davis
Marcos Vilar, President, Alianza for Progress
Maria Chavez, Associate Professor and Chair, Pacific Lutheran University
María Urbina, National Political Director, Indivisible
Mariela Silva
Marielena Hincapie, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center
Marissa Padilla
Maritza Perez, Esq.
Marsha Catron, Founding Partner, Swann Street Strategies
Marta Urquilla
Martin Cuellar
Martín Diego Garcia, Vice President, The Campaign Workshop
Mary Rivera Cummins, President, Cummins Real Estate, Animal Advocates
Matt A. Barreto, Co-Founder, Latino Decisions
Mayra Castillo
Melyssa Mendoza
Mercedes Marquez, HUD Assistant Secretary (Obama), CPD, Marquez Community Strategy
Michael Frias
Michelle Mayorga, Vice President, GBA Strategies
Monica Ramirez, Justice for Migrant Women
Mr. Marco Suarez
Natalia Salgado, Senior Political Strategist, Center for Popular Democracy
Nate Snyder, Former Obama DHS Counterterrorism Official and Latinos44 Chair
Neidi Dominguez, National Director of Strategic Campaigns, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
Octavio Gonzalez, CEO, Fourth Street Bridge Strategies, LLC
Olivia Garcia, Ph.D., Otto Santa Ana, Professor, UCLA
Oscar Silva, Executive Director, Battleground Texas
Oscar T. Ramirez
Paola Mendoza, Artist & Activist
Paola Ramos, Latinx Advocate
Pilar Marrero, Independent Journalist
Pili Tobar, Managing Director, America’s Voice
Randy Villegas, PhD student, University of California, Santa Cruz
Rebecca L. Guerra
Rene Rocha, Associate Professor, University of Iowa
Roberto Rey Agudo, Language Program Director for Spanish and Portuguese, Dartmouth College
Roberto Rey Agudo, Language Program Director for Spanish and Portuguese, Dartmouth College
Roger Salazar, President, ALZA Strategies
Roxanna Sarmiento, Partner, WeAllGrow Latina Network
Roy Herrera, Attorney
Sam Jammal, Civil Rights Attorney & Clean Energy Businessman
Santiago Martinez, Partner, Arena
Sarah Audelo, Executive Director, Alliance for Youth Action
Sean Marquez
Sergio Gonzalez
Sergio I Garcia-Rios, Assistant Professor, Cornell University
Shantel Meek, Professor of Practice, Arizona State University
Soledad Roybal, Founder, Latino Tech Policy Initiative
Sonia Fernandez,Executive Director of Labor & Public Relations, Aava Dental
Sophia Jordán Wallace, Associate Professor, University of Washington
Stephanie Valencia, Founder, 200 Collective
Tammye Treviño, Executive Director, Housing Authority of Bexar County
Teresa Acuña, Harvard University
Teresa Trujillo Montion
Tony Affigne, Professor of Political Science, Providence College
Tony Martinez, Former Chief of Staff, Wage & Hour Division, US Dept of Labor
Tory Gavito, President, Way to Win
Vanessa Mota, Founder, Content Creator
Vivian Graubard
Yol-Itzma Aguirre, Latinx Comms Outreach
Yvanna Cancela, State Senator, Nevada State Senate