Matt Ortega

Several months ago, Marisa Treviño declared in USA Today that “Latinos need our own Obama.”

Politicians have described Barack Obama as “inspiring,” a “leader” and a “visionary” of late. Indeed, he finds himself in an enviable position. He has begun to establish himself as a leader capable of uniting not just blacks but the entire country. His political ascent has been remarkable and historic, yet Latinos have reason to watch wistfully. Why? It reminds us of what we don’t have: a leader of national standing who can unite us.

Treviño correctly identified one key complication that would hinder the rise of a unifying, national Latino leader: our community is incredibly diverse with different interests — for instance, American immigration law treats Latinos differently.

Speaking of Mexicans and Cubans specifically, Treviño dryly suggested “Try finding one voice for these two groups.” We are white and Latino. We are black and Latino. We are Asian and Latino. Unite us and the prospects of bringing the country together does not seem so far fetched.

Moreover, for some Latinos of mixed background, we have a Barack Obama … Barack Obama. Born to a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya, many of us see ourselves in the Senator from Illinois. Some may identify with the Midwest background or the proud African ancestry. Others may simply relate to the idea of being “mixed” and the social pressures that come with it.

It is true, however, that folks (even some Latinos) come up short when prompted to name Latino leaders — current or past. This was true even for me. But they are there and will continue to grow.

From 1996 through 2007, the country saw a 37% increase in the number of Latinos elected. That’s the good news. The bad news: 68% of them held seats at either the municipal or school board level. These Latino upstarts need help finding the national stage.

Young Latino leaders, like California State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, New York City Councilman Joel Rivera, California 80th Assembly District candidate Manuel Perez and countless more, are emerging across the country. There is much work to be done to cultivate these rising stars but we are getting there.