During Hispanic Heritage Month, America celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Actress and activist Rosario Dawson is one of the 43 million Hispanic-Americans in this country. Rosario thinks young Latinos are finally finding their voice through political participation - but that they still have a long way to go.

Q: What is your ethnic background and what does it mean to you?

Rosario Dawson: I am Puerto Rican, Afro-Cuban, Native American and Irish. I am proud to be a multi-cultural American Latina. My heritage reflects a large majority of what American Latinos are. My diverse background has provided me a rich perspective to view the world in a unique way. Not to mention the fact that my background represents some of the best food in the world!

Q: How do you view setting aside a month of the year to honor Latino heritage?

RD: As a Latina American I honor my heritage every day. Hispanic Heritage month is wonderful to honor and celebrate the successes of our community. However, we should also use this month to access where we want to go. We are not at a point here in the U.S. where the needs of our community are being met at very basic levels. It's terrific that we take a month to highlight our accomplishments but we need general awareness campaigns year round. Through Voto Latino, an organization I co-founded, we hope to create those campaigns, highlight our needs and provide information on how to get involved to improve our communities, both regionally and nationally.

Q: What part of your culture are you most proud of?

RD: As a Latina, I'm proud of so much. My mother has been a huge influence in my life; from her, I've learned the power of perseverance, hard work, passion and compassion. Although my mom is first generation American, she represents typical traits of Latinos who come to this country and sacrifice everything so their children can have a better life.

Q: What do you think is the biggest misconception about Latino culture? How do you think it can be corrected?

RD: There are so many misconceptions that have been perpetuated throughout the years that it is difficult at times to clear them up. For instance, many second- and third-generation American Latinos, like myself, do not speak Spanish; we were raised in multicultural homes where Spanish was not the primary language. Somehow that disqualifies us as being Latino/a. Another misconception out there is that we don't care about education or engage in hard work. That's false. Many of our families who immigrated here have been entrepreneurial and have worked hard to make America great.

Unfortunately, the media and entertainment industries have been large contributors to lasting stereotypes. They are the fastest disseminators of information with the largest reach. A positive way to correct negative images is by providing programming that displays Latinos by highlighting their real contributions to better America in all areas, including technology, science, law, entertainment, and politics.

Q: What issues do you think are important for Latino young people?

RD: At a basic level, I think the issues are the same as those who aren't Latino. Something that does set us apart is that many of us have the additional responsibility of taking care of things at home in ways that our non-Latino peers may not. We help our parents decide what cars to buy, where to live, or whether to sign a lease. We have a powerful position within the household - we should use that influence for political participation. And we're learning how to do that. 33% of Latinos ages 18-24 voted in 2004 -- that's HUGE. It's a more than 7% increase from 2000. We're finding our voice -- our power.

Q: What issues do you feel are affecting the general Latino population most right now?

RD: We know how to spend our money -- $360 billion a year to be exact. And corporations are listening. They are wooing us left and right. We need to exercise our voting rights in the same way. We need it to get better schools and better healthcare. If Latino youth exercised their vote, politicians would not just come to our neighborhoods every four years during presidential elections. They would be inviting themselves to dinner, on a regular basis, trying to find new ways to meet our needs.

Q: Why is political involvement important for Latinos?

RD: Just look at our numbers! 14 million Latinos are under 25 with voting potential-that's more than half of all eligible Latino voters in the U.S. That's powerful. Yet we lack services, from public transportation, access to quality education and good healthcare. We have to encourage our parents, aunts, and uncles to participate.

Q: Have you always sought to impact change? What do you think it will take to get others active on important Latino issues?

RD: I have, since I was a child. My mom has always been a community activist. She taught me the values of justice and how one person, if she makes enough noise can make a difference. I see the improvements in my childhood neighborhood because a few held their political leaders accountable. I can't stress how easy it is to impact change. Latinos need to register and vote! It's your country - represent!

Voto Latino!

Voto Latino was formed to inform and encourage Latino youth to get involved in the political process through education, awareness, and voter registration, as well as training and internship opportunities to give the group access and exposure to the public service sector.