ABSTRACT
Following a multiyear study of national conferences and in-depth interviews with stakeholders, this chapter outlines the elements and themes unique to the human side of Latinx advocacy. Several themes stand out. First, the class background of the people who do professional Latinx politics matters. Their fluency in elite networks is a resource they draw upon to build alliances among other organizations and to solicit funding. Stakeholders in Latinx advocacy use their social networks as heuristics to make judgments of their audiences. Difference is minimized in this arrangement not by hegemonic media representation but instead by a small class of people producing communication campaigns reflective of their selective networks. Second, the national identity of Latinxs is deemphasized in favor of U.S. identity. At official fora, this takes the form of a close embrace of the symbology and nationalism of the USA. Dreamers are also held up as prototypical immigrants, worthy of full citizenship by virtue of their achievements. Finally, the narrative of achieving the American Dream is accomplished through a close partnership with large corporations. Latinx representatives of companies like Wal-Mart and Target, brought in through diversity initiatives, share their stories of working their way up and achieving prosperity.
