Juan Rangel, co-chairman of Rahm Emanuel's mayoral bid and head of the influential United Neighborhood Organization, stood at the front of the room. Before him, he saw the next generation of Chicago's political leaders, corporate chieftains and cultural tastemakers.
As the city gears up to elect its first new mayor in 21 years, Rangel said Latinos are at a crossroads and, with his UNO colleagues, is preparing up-and-coming professionals for a place at the table, no matter who replaces Richard Daley.
"It's not about being altruistic; put that aside," Rangel, 45, told the 36 smartly dressed men and women who had gathered for a lesson in political hardball through UNO's Metropolitan Leadership Institute. "If you don't have power, you'll never get to first base."
The message lies at the core of MLI, a modern vehicle for Latino clout in Chicago that goes beyond the legacy of curbside protests in the 1970s and the traditional patronage system mastered by the Hispanic Democratic Organization in the '90s.
Rangel's vision of a new day for Latinos resonates in his decision to join Emanuel's front-running campaign, despite the presence of three Latino candidates, and represents a clear break from the days when ethnic communities stuck to their own.
UNO's 9-year-old leadership academy — binding together politicians, bankers, real estate agents, City Hall staffers and attorneys much like an Ivy League Club — has become an essential stop for ambitious Chicago-area Latinos.
In the process, MLI's broadening network of influence — among its 206 graduates are CTA President Richard Rodriguez, Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, and state Commerce Commission Chairman Manny Flores — makes UNO an even greater political force in Chicago.
"You can never get to the point of addressing issues in our neighborhoods if we don't have power," said Rangel, echoing an UNO mantra that stretches back 25 years. Rangel regularly casts U.S.-born Latinos as the 21st century equivalent of the Irish offspring who have been at the city's helm for decades. READ MORE
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