National

Data: Pew Research, U.S. Census; Note: U.S. population values as of 2021; Chart: Axios Visuals

Dominican Americans, one of the fastest growing U.S. Latino groups, have rarely cracked federal office — although that could start to change with a special congressional election in Rhode Island that includes two Dominican American candidates. 

Driving the news: Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and state Sen. Ana Quezada, both Dominican Americans, are among the field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the race for former Rep. David Cicilline's open House seat.

Political analysts say the race has been largely unpredictable, with an oscillating roster of frontrunners, but Matos has polled well, according to local news outlets.

The district is largely Democratic, meaning the party's candidate is in good position to win the race.

The big picture: Despite a 200% increase in the Dominican American population in the U.S. — from about 800,000 in 2000 to 2.4 million now, according to the Pew Research Center — there is only one Dominican American in Congress: U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) He's also the first one.

While there are roughly the same number of Dominican Americans in the U.S. as Cuban Americans, there are 10 Cuban Americans in Congress.

Dominicans and Guatemalans are the second-fastest growing segment of the U.S. Latino population, behind Venezuelans, according to Pew. 

What they're saying: Espaillat tells Axios it was a long road to becoming a congressman partly because of his past immigration status. He predicts, however, that the U.S. will soon start to see more Dominicans in federal office.

"You will certainly, I think, see more of a presence and not just necessarily I would say from places where Dominicans are in high numbers," he says.

"I think we're making a dent and our presence is being felt," he says. "But we need to have additional members of Congress."

Tom Perez, a senior adviser to President Biden who was the secretary of labor in the Obama administration, was the first Dominican American to serve in a Cabinet position. He tells Axios that Dominicans have not been in U.S. politics partly because previous generations were just starting to understand the American political system.

"The whole American dream is premised on the notion that every generation is going to be a little bit better off than the preceding generation," he says. "Part of why I've served in public service for so long is I want to give."

Matos, who grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to the U.S. in 1994, previously told Axios that her parents, a teacher and a former mayor, taught her about public service.  

Matos was appointed to be lieutenant governor in 2021 and elected to the office the following year, after serving on the Providence City Council for a decade.

Between the lines: A majority of Dominican Americans live in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, according to Pew.

That concentration in one area could be one reason why their representation is so low in federal office, says Nancy Lopez, a professor of sociology at the University of New Mexico. 

"It takes a while for people to become familiar with the political landscape and to attain the levels of education you would need to pursue those levels of office," she adds. "Increasingly, it is happening certainly at the local level and municipal level in New York City."

Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Just 1 Dominican American serves in Congress — but that could soon change

Despite a 200% increase in the Dominican American population in the U.S., there is only one Dominican American in Congress.

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Latin America and Latinos

Dominican Americans, one of the fastest growing U.S. Latino groups, have rarely cracked federal office — although that could start to change with a special congressional election in Rhode Island that includes two Dominican American candidates. Driving the news: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/13/sabina-matos-dominican-congress-rhode-island" data-vars-content-id="65dbbe06-371c-4366-972d-bffed811db90" data-vars-headline="Just 1 Dominican American serves in Congress — but that could soon change" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/13/sabina-matos-dominican-congress-rhode-island" target="_self">Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos</a> and<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" state Sen. Ana Quezada" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/11/rhode-island-congress-sabina-matos" data-vars-content-id="65dbbe06-371c-4366-972d-bffed811db90" data-vars-headline="Just 1 Dominican American serves in Congress — but that could soon change" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/11/rhode-island-congress-sabina-matos" target="_self"> state Sen. Ana Quezada</a>, both Dominican Americans, are among the field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the race for former Rep. David Cicilline&#x27;s open House seat.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Three Latinas are among a diverse slate of candidates vying to be Rhode Island's next Congressional representative, illustrating the state's shifting demographics and Hispanics' growing political power.

The big picture: Latinos are now 17.6% of the state's population, a more than 40% increase from 2010 to 2022, according to census data.

Between 2010 and 2020, Hispanics were responsible for all of the population growth in Providence, the state's capital, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.

"It's really a story of where people have arrived and how long it takes for those communities to establish themselves in different places, and Rhode Island is perhaps not at the forefront," Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research at the Pew Research Center, tells Axios. "But it's one of these places where there has been a presence for decades."

Details: State Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and state Sens. Sandra Cano and Ana Quezada, who are all Latina and Democrats, are among the 35 candidates running for the seat left vacated by U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat who served for seven terms.

At least five other candidates could be the first person of color to represent Rhode Island in Congress.

Zoom out: Drawn by high-wage industrial jobs, Latinos started settling in Rhode Island in the 1950s, Tony Affigne, professor of political science and Black studies at Providence College, tells Axios. They're now part of the fabric of life in Rhode Island as small business owners and active members of their communities, Affigne adds.

Providence has the second largest concentration of Dominicans in the U.S., according to Yalidy Matos, an associate professor at Rutgers University.

Puerto Ricans and Colombians make up another significant portion of Latinos in Rhode Island, Matos adds.

Zoom in: Rhode Island Latinos have risen to power by serving on city councils and other local offices, John A. Garcia, a research professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, tells Axios via email.

Six Latinos are on the Providence City Council, while 13 Latinos serve in the state Legislature, according to political leaders.

What they’re saying: Matos, who is considered a frontrunner, says she learned about public service through her mother, who was a teacher, and father, a former mayor in Paraíso, a town in the Dominican Republic.

"I was able to learn about the need in our community of immigrants" by participating in rallies and working in the nonprofit sector, Matos says.

Cano, who was elected to the state Senate in 2018 and in 2021 became the first Latina to chair its education committee, tells Axios the opportunity to be civically engaged is one she wouldn't have in Colombia, which she left with her family as a political refugee.

"I come from a country that really doesn't have the same protections that we do have here in the United States and that is definitely an experience that I hold hard to my policy driven activities," she adds.

Quezada tells Axios that she struggled to adapt culturally after moving from the Dominican Republic to Tarrytown, NY, — where few Latinos lived — in the 1980s, but that changed when she moved to Providence in 1990. 

"I started getting involved in the community because it was a smaller town and everybody knows each other," she says.

What to watch: Primaries will be held Sept. 5 for the Democratic stronghold seat. 

Rhode Island Latinas running for Congress illustrate state's shift

Latinos are now 17.6% of the state's population, a more than 40% increase from 2010 to 2022, according to census data.

Photo illustration of Sabina Matos, Ana Quezada, and Sandra Cano in front of a map of Rhode Island.

Running for Congress are (from left) state Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and state Sens. Ana Quezada and Sandra Cano. Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photos: Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images, Ana Quezada for Congress, Checkmate Consulting

Rhode Island

Three Latinas are among a diverse slate of candidates vying to be Rhode Island&#x27;s next Congressional representative, illustrating the state&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shifting demographics" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/01/us-latinos-immigration-diversity" data-vars-content-id="7ca22e12-107e-4d91-8155-942fd1ee4be4" data-vars-headline="Rhode Island Latinas running for Congress illustrate state&#x27;s shift" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/01/us-latinos-immigration-diversity" target="_self">shifting demographics</a> and Hispanics&#x27; growing political power.The big picture: Latinos are now 17.6% of the state&#x27;s population, a more than 40% increase from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2010" data-vars-click-url="https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10_thematic/2010_Profile/2010_Profile_Map_Rhode_Island.pdf" data-vars-content-id="7ca22e12-107e-4d91-8155-942fd1ee4be4" data-vars-headline="Rhode Island Latinas running for Congress illustrate state&#x27;s shift" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10_thematic/2010_Profile/2010_Profile_Map_Rhode_Island.pdf" target="_blank">2010</a> to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2022" data-vars-click-url="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/RI/PST045222" data-vars-content-id="7ca22e12-107e-4d91-8155-942fd1ee4be4" data-vars-headline="Rhode Island Latinas running for Congress illustrate state&#x27;s shift" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/RI/PST045222" target="_blank">2022</a>, according to census data.

Civil rights leaders are set to hold the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., amid ongoing fears the nation is going back on racial equity and voting rights, even as the country becomes more diverse.

The big picture: The 1963 gathering in D.C., where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, sought to bring attention to jobs, voting rights, and police brutality. The issues are eerily the same in 2023. 

By the numbers: Poverty rates for Black Americans have fallen in the decades since the first March on Washington, but have remained high in comparison to other races.

Mortality rates are disproportionately high among Black women, and other racial disparities in health care are widespread.

Today there are 60 Black lawmakers in Congress, compared to five in 1963, but white Americans still make up most of Congress and constitute a majority of governors.

Details: This time, the march will include civil rights organizations of different racial groups, reflecting the changing nation.

"We have to figure out, how do we create the climate for all of us to engage forward," Martin Luther King III told Axios in an interview alongside his wife, Arndrea King.

Today, Hispanics, not Black Americans like in 1963, are the largest minority group in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census. Meanwhile, Pacific Islanders and Asians have seen among the biggest increases in the last two decades. 

"Now there is a growth in the multiracial population that is people who identify as both white and Black or Latino and Black," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution.

What they're saying: "We had to rely in some ways on the African American community to help speak for our communities or really carry that labor or when it came to civil rights and creating rights for oppressed minorities," John C. Yang, president and executive director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, tells Axios.

Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, said since 1963 there has been some backsliding on racial justice.

"Today you see the reemergence of white nationalists and a lot of rhetoric that's trying to make being concerned about racial equality a deficit," Stevenson said.

By bringing together advocates from diverse backgrounds, "we will stand together against hate," said Shira Goodman, senior director of advocacy for the Anti-Defamation League.

Flashback: Nearly a quarter million people attended the first March on Washington.

The late John Lewis, then chairman of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, spoke about demanding a provision to have voting rights protected and to protest in peace.

Both NAACP executive secretary Roy Wilkins, who spoke about having equal access to jobs and segregated schools, and A. Phillip Randolph, a civil rights and labor leader, attended the march.

March on Washington 60th anniversary to highlight unfinished goals

The anniversary comes amid fears that the nation is going backwards on racial equity.

An aerial shot of a scene from the 1963 March on Washington.

An aerial shot of a scene from the 1963 March on Washington. Photo: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

African Americans

Latino

Axios Latino

A police informant saw a "dry run" of Malcolm X's 1965 assassination a week prior and a new witness at the scene says he was never interviewed by authorities, attorneys and Malcolm X's family announced Tuesday. 

Why it matters Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Ray Hamlin alleged at a press conference more information they say points to efforts by the FBI to cover up a conspiracy to murder Malcolm X.

The killing of Malcolm X in New York City's Audubon Ballroom was one of the most high-profile assassinations of the Civil Rights era.

Driving the news: Crump said they were unveiling the information, including a new witness speaking for the first time, to prove negligence to get around the statute of limitations for possible legal action later.  

He said the FBI and New York Police Department failed to interview crucial witnesses and instead pinned the assassination on innocent people.

Details: Mustafa Hassan, 84, an associate of Malcolm X, said he was there at the assassination and was never interviewed by authorities.

Hassan read from his affidavit that he heard police ask if a suspected gunman was "with us" after police saw Malcolm X's supporters beating him. He also saw another gunman.

He said even today, law enforcement has never attempted to interview him about what he saw.

Crump said Eugene Roberts, an NYPD informant who acted as a Malcolm X associate, saw a dress rehearsal at the Audubon Ballroom for Malcolm's pending assassination a week before.

Roberts told CBS' Dan Rather years later he even heard someone say "(expletive), get your hands out of my pockets," at the dry run — famous words remembered at the assassination.

Roberts said he passed the information about the dry run to the FBI but doesn't know what they did with the information. It was unclear who was organizing the dry run.

The FBI declined to comment. NYPD did not immediately return an email from Axios.

What they're saying: "We simply want the truth to be known," Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X's daughter, told reporters.

"What history has recorded is inaccurate."

Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X's daughter, and Mustafa Hassan, 84, an associate of Malcolm X, sit after a press conference on Tuesday. Photo: Keldy Ortiz/Axios

The big picture: Scholars and civil rights advocates have long said the men charged with killing Malcolm X were wrongly convicted.

Some have alleged police and federal agents played a role in his death.

In early 2021, the family of Malcolm X released a letter reportedly written by a now-deceased police officer alleging that the New York Police Department and FBI were behind the assassination of the Black Civil Rights Movement leader.

The city of New York agreed in October 2022 to pay $26 million in lawsuit settlements filed on behalf of two men exonerated in late 2021 in the assassination.

Between the lines: Malcolm X experienced a renewed interest amid the Black Lives Matter movement and calls from advocates to diversify school history lessons to tackle systemic racism.

"The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X," written by the late journalist, Les Payne, and his daughter, Tamara, won the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

The book shows how Malcolm X's intellectual development as a Black nationalist stemmed partly from his preacher father and his multilingual mother, who worked as a journalist.

New witness at scene of Malcolm X assassination says he wasn't interviewed

A new witness speaking for the first time adds mystery to the 1965 assassination.

Malcolm X in March 1964. Photo: Truman Moore/Getty Images

A police informant saw a &quot;dry run&quot; of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Malcolm X&#x27;s 1965 assassination" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/31/malcolm-x-murder-exonerated-men-new-york-settlement" data-vars-content-id="d96fd592-a50c-43d7-b826-6bfed58a8d15" data-vars-headline="New witness at scene of Malcolm X assassination says he wasn&#x27;t interviewed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/31/malcolm-x-murder-exonerated-men-new-york-settlement" target="_self">Malcolm X&#x27;s 1965 assassination</a> a week prior and a new witness at the scene says he was never interviewed by authorities, attorneys and Malcolm X&#x27;s family announced Tuesday. Why it matters Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Ray Hamlin alleged at a press conference more information they say points to efforts by the FBI to cover up a conspiracy to murder Malcolm X.

Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila announced an initiative to help funnel at least $1 billion in federal dollars into school districts nationwide to assist them in becoming safer.

Driving the news: The Greenlights Grant Initiative, a project from the just keep livin Foundation which was founded by McConaughey and his wife will work with schools to help them apply for federal funding for mental health services, school security systems and other measures. 

The money to get those resources is available as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed after the Uvalde, Texas, elementary shooting in May 2022.

"Today’s launch of the Greenlights Grant Initiative is a meaningful step toward providing school districts across the country the grant writing support and the resources they need to keep kids safe," the McConaugheys said in a statement Thursday.

Details: The initiative will focus on three areas: Education through letting districts know about grant opportunities; Support by providing resources from tutoring to grant writing services; Advocacy to encourage policymakers to maximize the funding for grants.

Fundraising numbers from GGI are not disclosed and it's unknown how many schools will be impacted by this initiative.

The just keep livin Foundation could not immediately be reached for comment.

Background: McConaughey, a native of Uvalde, has advocated for gun restrictions after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers there.

Just keep livin Foundation was started by McConaughey and his wife to help bring after-school programs including fitness and wellness to students.

Zoom out: Celebrities like McConaughey can be an important amplifier for social and racial justice causes but can often lack the political education to understand who gets left out, Sharhonda Bossier, CEO of Education Leaders of Color or EdLoC, tells Axios.

"Most of the communities that are touched by gun violence are low-income communities of color," she said. "Most of that violence does not happen in schools and much of it happens to young people who we often don't think of as worthy of our protection."

When it comes to providing school resources, understanding that race, class and poverty are factors is something people don't want to confront, Ruth Idakula, national director of Our Dignity in Schools Campaign, tells Axios.

"Black people and brown people in this country have a different reality from people, everybody else in this country and people need to lean into it and people need to understand it," she said. "Even before they decided they're going to do this grandiose thing, in terms of helping people because if you don't recognize (the disparities), what's going to happen is that most of that money is going to end up in the schools that actually don't need it."

Republicans and Democrats in Congress will be advisory board co-chairs.

What they're saying: "The initiative's work to help get BSCA money to schools that might otherwise be excluded is absolutely essential," Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said. 

"The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made historic investments aimed at protecting our children and schools, and we must now turn our attention to ensuring these critically-important resources get to communities that need them the most," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said. 

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to remove a reference that suggested members of Congress serving as Greenlights Grant Initiative advisory board co-chairs could be compensated.

Austin

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

Axios Austin

Austin Alerts

Axios Austin Thought Bubble

Austin Members

San Antonio

San Antonio Alerts

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting San Antonio.

Axios San Antonio Thought Bubble

Axios San Antonio

San Antonio Members

Matthew McConaughey creates initiative to help school districts receive federal funding

The funds are for mental health services, school security systems and other measures.

Actor Matthew McConaughey delivers remarks on the mass shooting in Uvalde as he speaks during the White House daily press briefing in the James Brady Room at the White House on June 7, 2022. Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Actor Matthew McConaughey delivers remarks on the mass shooting in Uvalde as he speaks during the White House daily press briefing on June 7, 2022. Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Schools

Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila announced an initiative to help funnel at least $1 billion in federal dollars into school districts nationwide to assist them in becoming safer.Driving the news: The Greenlights Grant Initiative, a project from the just keep livin Foundation which was founded by McConaughey and his wife will work with schools to help them apply for federal funding for mental health services, school security systems and other measures.

Keldy Ortiz

Stories

Just 1 Dominican American serves in Congress — but that could soon change

March on Washington 60th anniversary to highlight unfinished goals

Matthew McConaughey creates initiative to help school districts receive federal funding

New witness at scene of Malcolm X assassination says he wasn't interviewed

Rhode Island Latinas running for Congress illustrate state's shift