San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro first Mexican American Latino tapped for Democratic keynote slot

Tomorrow night, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro will give the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. This is a very prestigious and important role at the Convention. In 2004, it was Sen Barack Obama who had this coveted role which launched his political career. Tomorrow, Mayor Julian Castro will be the first Mexican American to  address the convention.

This is IMPORTANT. This is SIGNIFICANT.

Castro comes from the Latino People of America, from the grass-roots.

(NOT Immigrants from some Privileged Group who are granted Immediate Citizenship once they set their feet on shore, or come from such wealth that they are granted Immediate Citizenship.)

The vast majority of Latinos in America are Mexican American. Mexican Americans comprise over 70% of the Latinos in America.

Castro was born in and is the Mayor of San Antonio, the Mexican American Capital of America.

(Yes, I said it!) All Latinos in America know this.

But the importance of Julian Castro giving this speech is: THIS IS NOT A WHITE, BLACK, EUROPEAN, MEXICAN, ASIAN, BROWN, YELLOW OR RED AMERICA. THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND IT IS IMPORTANT! IT IS SIGNIFICANT! TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EACH OF US, OF EVERY ETHNICITY, ARE EQUAL! EACH OF US CAN ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN DREAM! EACH OF US CAN STEP INTO THIS ROLE -- AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER OR AS PRESIDENT OF AMERICA! THIS IS THE AMERICAN DREAM!!

At 37, Carlos is the youngest big-city mayor in the country and has been mentioned by both parties as a future governor of Texas or even the first Latino President. He doesn’t deny interest in either job, saying only that if he gets reelected in 2017, he’ll “look around and see what’s possible.”

But Castro is not the only political force in a family that resembles a working-class, Tejano version of the Kennedys. His mother, Rosie Castro, has a long history of political activism. Born in 1947, Rosie Castro was raised in San Antonio, Texas. She did very well in school where she was president and valedictorian of her class and organized a Catholic Youth Club at the school. At a young age, she was active in San Antonio politics. She earned a master's degree from the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) and interned with the City of San Antonio. 

Julian has a twin brother, Joaquin, who is also active in politics.

Rosie Castro was a single mother who brought her young sons to countless political meetings, instilling in them the sense that “public service is noble,” in Julian Castro’s words. His twin brother, Joaquin, who is one minute younger, is a heavy favorite to become a congressman next year. Julian and Joaquin first handed out campaign fliers at age 3 and joined their mother inside the voting booth so they could see the "nuts and bolts" of democracy. Before they were old enough to vote, they’d interned for a number of local officials and were groomed for bigger things in the west San Antonio barrio.

“We were very aware of Julian and Joaquin even in high school,” said Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas), the retiring lawmaker whom Joaquin Castro is running to replace. “They’ve always been very intelligent, driven, committed young people. It’s gratifying to see where they are today.”

Both brothers' political views are very similar. “My brother and I both agree that what we need to harness in the U.S. is the infrastructure of opportunity in the same way that past generations have built out roads, bridges and airports, and also an infrastructure of opportunity — strong public schools, great universities, Social Security for seniors,” the mayor said.

He and his twin ran for the student senate at Stanford their junior year, winning with the exact same number of votes. After Stanford, they earned matching law degrees at Harvard then returned to San Antonio.

“When they’re standing side by side, it’s confusing,” said Gonzalez. “I know them, know them well, but I was relieved when Julian got married — it’s easy to spot the wedding band.”

But their lives and careers are now diverging. Julian is married and has a 3 year old daughter. Joaquin remains single. Joaquin said their busy schedules and Julian’s young family mean they now “see each other less than we ever have, a few times a week,” and he admitted it’ll be “a bit strange” to be in a different part of the country than his brother next year.

Maria Castro is very proud of both of her sons and is very proud that Julian is Keynote Speaker of the Democratic Convention tomorrow. When asked if she thought if Julian could be the first Latino president, she didn’t miss a beat. “Absolutely,” she said.