The convention committee said Castro’s speech will mark the first time a keynote address is delivered by a Latino at a Democratic convention.

“As mayor, Julián Castro has worked tirelessly to move San Antonio forward by building its economy from the middle out, not the top down, by putting the city on a path to being a leader in the new energy economy and making innovative investments in education to prepare San Antonio’s students for the jobs of the future,” wrote Los Angeles Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa, who is the 2012 convention chairman. “That’s the same vision forward for the middle class the President has, and it stands in stark contrast to Mitt Romney, who’s ready to return us to the same policies that crashed our economy.”