Trump’s Latino-less Apprentice

Trump’s Latino-less Apprentice
By Gabriel Buelna

I admit it: I have probably seen every episode of The Apprentice. The show is exciting, taking a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds and making them compete for the position of apprentice to billionaire Donald Trump. It’s basically a good opportunity for a few aspiring entrepreneurs and business people that lets the rest of us enjoy some entertaining on-screen back stabbing and manipulation. Fun, right?

Imagine, then, my excitement when I learned that this season The Apprentice was going to be based in Los Angeles. I was thrilled that the diversity and excitement of my great city would be part of the show. Armed with Doritos and a cold 7up, I sat down to watch the first episode with great anticipation. As each of the 18 candidates was revealed, however, I was horrified to see that not one of them was Latino.

How could the show be hosted in Los Angeles County where, of approximately 10 million people, 47 percent are Latino and not have a Latino contestant? I then thought, Do Latinos even watch the show? Then I remembered the show is advertised on the napkin dispenser at my favorite El Pollo Loco in Boyle Heights. I realized that The Apprentice was being marketed heavily in our Latino communities, yet the show does not include any Latinos. As disappointed as I was, I thought, “Does it matter?” The answer is simple: It matters a lot!

Frankly, it should not worry only Latinos that not a single Apprentice contestant is Latino; it should worry the nation as a whole. Even with the popularity of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and with Latinos represented at the highest levels of local, state and federal governments, business and education, questions of equity still abound. While the rest of the world is pumping out engineers and scientists, the education Latinos are forced to accept is the worst of the worst.

Yet there is no field that does not have Latinos. Historically, even under difficult educational and neighborhood circumstances, our Latino communities have produced outstanding leaders, such as Hector Ruiz, President and CEO of AMD, a giant in microprocessors and rival to Intel as well as Alejandro González Iñárritu, recipient of the 2006 Golden Globe for best picture in the drama category for his work in Babel. Given the opportunity, Latinos compete and win.

Latino youth are as intelligent as other youth. Today’s generation of Latinos will be the heart of America’s future economy. Yet The Apprentice chose not to acknowledge these capabilities or the overwhelming presence of Latinos in Los Angeles by not choosing any for the sixth season of the show. Looking back through the six seasons of The Apprentice, I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked. Of the 106 candidates that have been on the show, only two have been Latino. Season two had a Portuguese woman who lasted a few weeks, and season five had a Cuban attorney who lasted two weeks.

Latinos represent .019 percent of all candidates on The Apprentice; the Latino population in the United States is 12.5 percent. Latinos represent 0.0 percent of contestants on the Los Angeles season of The Apprentice, though 47 percent of Los Angeles residents are Latino. Clearly, The Apprentice is not concerned with creating a show that is representative of the wide range of people capable of becoming the next apprentice, particularly if those capable people are Latinos. The Apprentice is, however, worried about having a marketing presence in the L.A. Latino community.

So why are there no Latinos on The Apprentice? In general, East Coast media and business leaders do not view Latinos as having a national presence, but rather a regional one. Latinos are still portrayed as newcomers with a limited history in the United States and thus not part of any national conversation. It is not my place to educate Mr. Trump or any media or business elite, however. It is their job to understand the markets that include Latinos. My only responsibility is to point out a deficiency in a show that I enjoy watching. Give Latinos a chance to be “fired” or “hired,” Mr. Trump. Then let the viewers judge whether or not they got a fair opportunity.

As citizens responsible for exposing our youth to positive role models, we have the responsibility to speak out when something is wrong. And in this situation, silence is tantamount to consent. Mr. Trump might argue that it is his show and that we live in a free market. Of course we do; yet that market also includes ideas—ideas that require scrutiny when our gut says they are wrong.

Latinos cannot be idle when a show such as The Apprentice has a collaborative of capable individuals devoid of Latinos. Inaction only serves to create and perpetuate an atmosphere of inferiority. The Latino community must demand inclusion and make every effort to make diverse opinions heard. No, I am not calling for a boycott of the show—just a discussion about what inclusion means.

In an era where U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have real, precedent-setting opportunities to become President of the United States, the era of a limited Latino media presence needs to end. Television shows such as The Apprentice just remind me that while some things have changed, some things remain the same.

What do you think?

Gabriel Buelna, Ph.D., M.S.W., is Executive Director of Plaza Community Center in East Los Angeles, a faculty member at California State University, Northridge, and appears regularly on TV-KMEX-Channel 34 Univision Los Angeles.