I submitted the below letter to the Star-Ledger on Friday, Aug. 7.  Since the letter hasn’t seen the light of day, I thought I’d publish it here.

It’s self-explanatory.

I consistently encourage Latinos to send letters to the editor as well as opinion pieces.  We must have our voices heard!  Drop me a line if you want some advice on how to go about it: imendez@latinosnj.com.

So here’s my two cents as expressed in the below letter to the editor:

The Star-Ledger’s front page headline “First Hispanic Justice” over a photo of a beaming Sonia Sotomayor was a sight to behold.  Thursday’s confirmation vote was historical and Latinos throughout the country and New Jersey were bursting with emotions and pride.

But wait!  When I went to read the coverage, I was stunned to see that the state’s largest newspaper chose to use newswires.   You didn’t bother to assign a reporter to capture what Latinos in New Jersey were thinking and feeling on a day that will be emblazoned in our memories until our last breaths.  And you couldn’t even be bothered to include any comments from our own Senator Bob Menendez, one of only two Latino senators in the country, who proudly cast a vote on her behalf.

I know you have all the relevant statistics regarding the Latino population in New Jersey, including the large number of Puerto Ricans.  Indeed, your editorial that ran that same day (“A Supreme moment”) noted the nation’s combined “minority” population has reached 100 million but, alas, there was no mention of the more than 1.4 million Latinos in your own backyard.

The editorial succinctly notes that the Republicans who voted against Judge Sotomayor “seemed trapped in a disappearing past.”    Well, I believe the same can be said about the Star-Ledger in this case.  You missed the boat in a big way by ignoring what New Jersey Latinos were thinking and saying on what certainly was one of the greatest days in our country, in New Jersey, in our communities, and in our lifetime.

I know many of us had been planning to save a copy of the Aug. 7, 2009 edition of the Star-Ledger as a keepsake. But given the paper’s decision to ignore the voices of New Jersey Latinos who regard Judge Sotomayor as a family member, I wouldn’t be surprised if those copies land in the recycling bins.

There’s little difference between the PolitickerNJ 2009 So-Called Power List and the exclusive country clubs that dot the New Jersey landscape where people of color are more than likely found serving the members and scrubbing the bathrooms. In these worlds, Latinos are invisible to those engaged in conversations about earth-shaking issues like who made a So-Called Power List except when an extra round of drinks is needed (“Where is that damn Jose?!”).

So it was particularly delicious – and appropriate – that a head waiter by the name of Henry Mendez made this So-Called Power List. The irony almost made me laugh.

Here’s a news flash: You don’t have to go into the kitchens to find Latinos who are making a difference in New Jersey. So where are they?

Since I have no interest in taking part in that “Name that Powerful Latino/a” nonsense, here’s my quick take.

We are lawyers, business owners, heads of non-profits and constituency groups, educators and law enforcement professionals – and so many more. We are office-holders who believe change can come through public service (and who won’t sell their souls to the highest bidder). We are political strategists and communication consultants. We are women and men who are working to make changes in a political system where decision-makers pretend to be engaged in conversations with us while looking over our heads to see who else has entered the room.

I want to note that numerous names on the So-Called Power List are the same ones that get a lot of airtime. Alas, you won’t see Latinos on the local television or radio talk shows because it appears the hosts and producers are either unbelievably lazy, clueless or both, and prefer to dust off their Rolodexes and tap the same old tired faces that don’t reflect the colors and experiences of the more than 1.4 million Latinos in New Jersey.

Ditto for the news stories about issues (other than immigration) where reporters often can’t seem to find a Rodriguez or Rivera or a Perez to provide some comments.

(Folks, believe it or not, Latinos have opinions on issues beyond immigration. Yes that is a crucial issue, but we can also discuss politics, the economy and such. Imagine that!)

So regarding the PolitickerNJ Editor’s note about the “glaring absence of Latinos” from the So-Called Power List and its “hope” that “by bringing our view to light it engenders meaningful discussion”:

Trust me. Those discussions are already taking place among Latinos, and they have been for quite some time.

We welcome PolitickerNJ to our world. Or would it make it easier if I said welcome to our table and here are today’s specials?