The Grammy Awards 2000 celebration was the defining point for the color and shape of things to come for the next century in the United States of North America. Carlos Santana walked away with six awards and the stunning, captivating, delectable, delicious, de beautiful Jennifer Lopez arrived “decked out” in a flimsy $15,000 Carolina Herrera item which barely covered her Channel No. 5, and walked away with the oohs and the aahs. Ricky Martin was at center stage as well, and followed up with his fifteen minutes of glory on the Barbara Walters show on the evening of the Oscar awards. Within weeks, both Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez were selected as entertainers of the year, male and female respectively.

Cristina Aguilera, Cameron Diaz, and Salma Hayek were also out on the wings being noticed, as was Marc Anthony. Perhaps the crowning blow was when Santana began his acceptance speech with three Hebrew words spoken with a distinct Eastern European accent. Those words were, Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh from Isiah 6:3, an invocation that Santana uses on special occasions. Santana does not rest, he has now teamed up with Star Media Network, Inc. to broadcast live concerts and chat sessions targeting Latino audiences.

Andalé Carlos!

And Salma Heyek’s biopic “Frida” was the rage at the Venice Film Festival in September 2002 as well as at Sundance in January 2003.

The United States of North America will never be the same again. The browning of America has long been a fact of life, we have always been here, we have just been invisible. On January 20, 2003 the Bureau of the Census as announced that Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States of North America. There are 37 million of us. By the year 2010, the U. S. will be a majority-less society according to the Bureau.

That is not the way the Bureau defines it, they would say that the majority of the U.S. population will be of Hispanic origin; that is Buricuas, Chicanos, Chilangos, Cubanos, Dominicanos, Guatemantecos, Hispanos, Hondureños, Latinos, Mejicanos, Mexican-Americans, Nicas, Porteños, Salvadoreños, Ticos, and all the “other” names by which we, Hispanics, are “affectionately” known. Spanish is already spoken in all sections of the land. It is hip to use the language in polite society. Everyone is doing it. Not every one is using it correctly, but that is to be expected, and even that will change. Spanish is much more expressive and will probably end up as the official commercial language of the Americas as well. It already is, of course, in Central and South America. In the United States of Central America, Mexico, Castilian surpassing that spoken in Spain has been in vogue since the days of “Siempre En Domingo” with Raul Velasco. In the United States of South America, Brazil, Portuguese is the modal language.

Notwithstanding the barbed wire fences across the southern borders of this country the “Hispanic” language and its culture have “penetrated” into all facets of life in the United States of North America. Penetrated is probably not the proper term to use, the Hispanic language and culture has always existed, it just was not noticed by the powers that be. Permeated then? Perhaps.

We have been here since before “Plymouth Rock”, the late Senator Dennis Chavez (D-NM) used to say. He was fighting the battle for recognition of Hispanics in the 20s and 30s long before there were civil rights marches and riots. No, he did not get the recognition he deserved in life. Neither did Gus Garcia, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Senator Octaviano Larrazolo, Congressman Antonio Fernandez, Vice President Lorenzo de Zavala, Major Rafael Chacón, Graciela Gil Olivarez, Dolores Huerta, Dr. Hector P. Garcia, Vicente Ximenez and numerous other Hispanics who fought the good battle for recognition in this country in the 19th and 20th centuries. This writer wrote a book entitled, Hispanic Notables in the United States of North America in 1978. It received scant attention, then. Today, I can name my own price for the few copies I have left. What has happened is that we are finally being noticed. The night of the Grammies 2000 was the defining moment. It took those in the performing arts to get the attention of the American public.

However, our contributions to the good life of this country have been made in all fields of endeavor. Hispanics have distinguished themselves in the Arts and Sciences from A to Z as well as in Commerce. We just have not been noticed by the Tom Brokows of the communications industry. This book is an attempt to set the record straight. It documents the distinguished contributions to life in these United States by Hispanics in all walks of life. It also deals with the social and political concerns of Hispanics in this country. It may provide a glimpse of the shape of things to come for all of its citizens. North Americans are already getting a glimpse of the ambition and effectiveness of the most prominent Mexican American today, Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson. He does not miss an opportunity, whether as Congressman from New Mexico, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, or as Energy Secretary to rescue a political prisoner here, save a stranded hero there, or save the economies of the developed world by nagging the OPEC countries to increase their daily production of crude. Richardson has had numerous diplomatic coups over the last few years. Let's see, they include Haiti, North Korea, Iraq, Bosnia and China, any others? We came pretty close to seeing the first Mexican American on the Presidential ticket with Al Gore, if it hadn’t been for the handling of the Wen Ho Lee case maybe! (The jury is still out on the case.) Perhaps in 2008; we will soon know.

The Banner Headline of the Albuquerque Journal Sports page on May 29, 2000, Crossover Sensation, Montoya Burns Up Brickyard, and the accompanying story continues the saga. Yes, this was the year for the Hispanics in the Americas. Juan Montoya led for 167 laps of the 200-lap Indianapolis 500 to win the 84th running of the event. Eliseo Salazar came in third. In winning the Indy 500 hundred, Montoya joins six other rookies who have won the race. He averaged 167.496 miles per hour and earned $1,235,690.00 for about two hours of work. Not quite the rate of pay that Oscar de la Hoya made in defending his belt this same year. The contract calls for him to get a cool $8,000,000.00 for perhaps a few seconds of work. So, you say, how are we Latinos doing in the new millennium? You have not seen anything yet.

The reaction of Al Unser, Jr. of Albuquerque to Montoya’s victory is ominous of another of the problems we will face. But hold on.

Just two days after Montoya’s triumph Randy Velarde ot the Oakland A’s accomplished about the rarest feat of all in baseball, turning in just the 10th unassisted triple play in regular season history to upstage the Yanks win. Better get used to it America; and please, communications people, learn how to pronounce names such as Olazabal, Sergio, de la O, de la Hoya, etc.

Then on July 2, 2000, the truly incredible happened! Vicente Fox was elected President of Mexico. This event will have more to do with the Browning of America than any of the really astonishing events of the year. The year 2000 is the year of the Hispanic, or what? We’re on a roll, compa.

Oh, yes there will be a Chapter on the role of the World’s poster kid, Kid Elian Gonzalez.

Read on.