Velez, Hector M. (1967-). Elected to New Hampshire’s House of Representatives (Hillsborough, District 12) in November 2004, Hector Velez is the first Latino to hold public office in the state. He is now serving his second term, which will expire in January 2009. He lives in Manchester.
New Hampshire cultural contributions
New Hampshire offers Latinos several structural advantages to increase their ability to make cultural contributions to the state. One advantage is that nearly half of the state’s population resides in Rockingham and Hillsborough counties. Three-quarters of the state’s Latinos live in these two counties, and half of the state’s Latinos live in the cities of Manchester and Nashua. This concentrated presence has helped Latinos create a more visible presence in the state through the creation of organizations such as Latinos Unidos of New Hampshire, which sponsors New Hampshire’s annual Latino Festival.
Despite the tension created by recent problems concerning unauthorized immigration, Latinos continue to contribute to the economic and social domains of life in New Hampshire, being visible in many aspects of community life. For example, Latino businesses are an important recent development in southern New Hampshire. Latinos are contributing to the community to such a degree that a local National Public Radio affiliate had an hour-long discussion on their
Orozco painting The Departure of Quetzalcoatl, the seventh panel in The Epic of American Civilization, located in the Reserve Reading Room of Baker Library at Dartmouth College. Courtesy of the Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.
contributions to the state. The following are some examples of Latino contributions to New Hampshire.
New Hampshire notable latinos Photo Gallery
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