Hispanic Population

Mayor Martin O'Malley recently suggested that by 2010 Baltimore would have a Hispanic population that "rivals that of Washington, D.C." Do you think attracting more immigrants would help revitalize Baltimore? And what can the city do to bring in more newcomers? Responses are due by Monday. We are looking for 200 words or less. Letters become the property of The Sun, which reserves the right to edit them. By submitting a letter, the author grants The Sun an irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use and republish the letter, in whole or in part, in all media and to authorize others to reprint it. Letters should include your name and address, along with a day and evening telephone number.

A new study of the Hispanic market in the United States projects increases in household disposable income and consumer spending through 2020 that significantly outpace the expected national growth rate. The study based its estimates on the continued rapid expansion of the Hispanic population. Titled "Snapshots of the U.S. Hispanic Market," the report, released last week, said Hispanic spending patterns "often show a sharp contrast of growth in an otherwise flat market. It also seeks to highlight the importance of targeting Hispanic consumers to achieve maximum sales gains.

The number of minorities -- and especially Latinos -- in Maryland is continuing to grow as the state's white population shrinks. According to U.S. Census Bureau figures released today, the state's population of non-Hispanic whites decreased by 21,428 between 2006 and 2007, while the Latino population of all races grew by 17,779. Latinos now account for just over 6 percent of the state's 5.6 million people, whose overall numbers edged upward marginally in the past year. From a racial standpoint, whites account for 63.6 percent of Maryland's population, African-Americans for 29.5 percent and Asians for 5 percent.

MAYOR MARTIN O'Malley is boning up on his high school Spanish. He is about to record public service announcements for ethnic radio stations in the Washington suburbs, where the bulk of Maryland's 230,000 Hispanics live. His message: Move to Baltimore. Life is cheaper here, and operating a business is simpler and more profitable. "We want to talk about the city, because it's up and coming, back on the map again," explains Jose Ruiz, the mayor's liaison to the Hispanic community. "We want to lure people from Prince George's and Montgomery counties," Mr. Ruiz said.

Hispanic organizations across the state will donate a statue of Cuban patriot and poet Jose Marti to the city as part of Baltimore's bicentennial celebration.A group calling itself Project Marti has commissioned designs and raised funds for the monument, which likely would stand in the Fells Point plaza at the foot of Broadway.The donation was announced in El Mensajero, a Spanish-language monthly edited by Dr. Luis E. Queral, a retired surgeon who fled Cuba shortly after Fidel Castro came to power.

Enclosed in a large glass case, a 4-foot-high statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe stood next to the marble altar in St. John Roman Catholic Church in Westminster. As a mariachi band played, devotees of the patron saint of the Americas placed red, pink and white roses before her statue while kneeling and offering prayers and kisses. Nearly 250 people attended Friday's bilingual Mass to celebrate the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a major observance for Catholics throughout Latin America, particularly in Mexico, of which she is the patron saint.

Anne Arundel County's Hispanic population wasn't even a blip on the marketing radar 10 years ago, but today its growth has caught the attention of public and private agencies eager to understand how best to deliver their messages to this expanding community. From 1960 to 1980, the county's Hispanic population more than doubled, from 2,273 to 4,595. By 1990, that number had risen to 6,815, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But how much the county's Hispanic population has grown since then is unknown.

W. Arundel chamber chief to quit; search for successor begins The executive director of the West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, Marcia Hall, has announced she will leave the job April 6. Hall, director for 11 years, said she will pursue other interests, including youth leadership and work force development. Among her accomplishments, Hall helped organize the "Youth Conference for Community Progress," a student-directed program that started in 1997. It allows students to tackle such issues as character and values, the importance of not excluding others, and giving back to the community.

Annapolis Mayor Dean L. Johnson is taking his "City Hall Comes to You" program to the city's growing Hispanic community next month, the first in the series to target an ethnic group rather than a neighborhood.The forum, scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Griscomb building in Truxton Park, is part of a series that Johnson began in February. The previous six or seven meetings have targeted communities such as Eastport and Parole.The Hispanic population is "a growing part of Annapolis," Johnson said yesterday.

With the Hispanic population growing in Howard County, Charles Ramos thinks the time is right for a business group to serve that segment of the community - a Hispanic chamber of commerce. Ramos, president of the 8-year-old CR Dynamics Inc., is sending letters to contacts, hoping to generate interest in Howard County for a business group to provide information, guidance and networking. "We're throwing a flare up in the air and saying if you're out there, let us know," said Ramos, who serves on the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a group that is organizing a Hispanic business convention in Baltimore.