U.S. Latinos Very Important to Latin America: Venezuelan Ambassador

NAM Contributing Editor Roberto Lovato spoke with Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez Herrera at the National Latino Congreso in Los Angeles.

What draws you, a representative of the Venezuelan government, to a meeting of U.S. Latinos?

It's very natural. There are longstanding and deep cultural, economic and political ties between Latinos in the United States and Latin America. We support the agenda in Latin America and we support the Latino agenda in the United States.

Do you feel or are you treated as someone foreign to this kind of meeting?

Even three years ago, it was strange to see people coming from South America at these kinds of meetings (i.e. Latino Congreso). Now, we're seen as a close reality, as not so distant. There are commonalities and there is even a common agenda developing. It's very exciting.

Where do you see these commonalities?

I look at the facial expressions here and I see meetings I've been to in America Latina (Latin America). I listen to the issues they discuss and they are the same issues: housing, employment, the environment, women's issues, community development and others.

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