National Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 begins on September 15 and ends on October 15. This time celebrates and recognizes the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to American society and culture.
KARLA
My parents migrated from Colombia to New Jersey in the early 90s. They did not speak a word of English and relied heavily on their daughters to serve as their translators from an early age. As we grew older, Spanish-speaking residents of the community knew to tap us for assistance in speaking with their landlords, making phone calls to the cable company, and helping them register to vote.
In truth, I continue to have regular conversations with Latinx neighbors, friends, and relatives around how to mobilize resources and influence systems. In particular, civic engagement has been an enduring topic and the source of frustration, empowerment, confusion, pride, sadness and apathy for many members of my community.
In recent months, these emotions have been exacerbated by COVID-19, the U.S. Postal Service’s quickly deteriorating state, and the tightening legal pressures placed on “undocumented” citizenry. With so many of us feeling worried and uneasy, voting can feel daunting.
Yet Pew Research Center reports that a record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in 2020, up from 27.3 million in 2016.* We are a fast-growing, diverse electorate. While so many of us are subjugated to disenfranchisement because of our “legal status,” many more of us are able to exercise the power of the ballot.
We are a fast-growing, diverse electorate. While so many of us are subjugated to disenfranchisement because of our “legal status,” many more of us are able to exercise the power of the ballot.
On this September, we should pay homage to our heritage by creating awareness around the importance of voting. For a Latina like me, who has the right to vote, I feel it is my responsibility to engage in conversations with fellow Latinx voters around the leverage we hold as a constituency.
Are you eligible and registered to vote? Pew Research Center states “only about half of the nation’s 60 million Hispanics are eligible to vote – the smallest share of any racial or ethnic group.”** Use this statistic as fuel! Energize those around you who are able to cast a ballot and get them to vote. Ponga te las pilas!
*www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/14/facts-for-national-hispanic-heritage-month
**www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/31/where-latinos-have-the-most-eligible-voters-in-the-2020-election
Written by Change Specialist Karla Mendez
