Author Description

Latino Politics in Massachusetts explores the major challenges to political representation in cities where Latino populations do not make up the majority of the population and therefore cannot rely on sheer numbers to gain representation. The Latino population in Massachusetts is dispersed in cities throughout the state, with the greatest concentrations located in the seven cities that are the focus of this volume: Lawrence, Chelsea, Holyoke, Lowell, Springfield, Boston, and Worcester. Using case studies of these specific cities, each of the original essays in this volume highlight both the barriers to political representation as well as the strategies that are most successful in overcoming these barriers. While the geographic focus of these essays is on the urban politics of Latino communities in Massachusetts, the lessons it offers apply to political organizers in a wide range of states across the country. Book jacket.