"If you want politicians to actually take the needs of Latinos seriously, you have to exercise your right to vote all the time, not just every four years when they say "hola, si se puede" on Univision, that is how things work."
I will tell you a secret that not many politicians will ever admit is true. If you are a minority and don't vote and your reason is because "it does not make a difference," you are right where this government wants you. Latinos are the largest minority in this country, with around 32 million of us eligible to vote. However, only about half of us actually do vote. Furthermore, when it comes to federal elections like this one, Latinos are in fact outnumbered in the battleground states because our percentages are so low in those polls, with the exception of places like Florida and Arizona, which shows you our importance still in the big picture. To further dilute the numbers, you then split those votes into Democrats, Republicans and Independents. However, this does not mean that our vote cannot make a difference, especially if an election is close! But if you don't get out to vote, then you do make it easy for this government to ignore us as a community.
If you want politicians to actually take the needs of Latinos seriously, you have to exercise your right to vote all the time, not just every four years when they say "hola, sí se puede" on Univision, that is how things work.. The last thing a politician wants to do is lose power, that is the leverage that any American citizen has but many of us do not use. African Americans have understood this concept for centuries, they have been legally disenfranchised since the beginning of this country. They have suffered in blood, sweat, and tears for people of color to be able to cast a ballot. They have paved the way and have suffered greatly for that right. Furthermore, there are currently an estimated five million people who have been disenfranchised from voting because of a previous felony, myself included. I will not be able to vote in this election, the first time I can't since I became a U.S. Citizen a little over twenty years ago.
I am asking our Latino community to go out and vote for those of us who cannot do so legally. And if you do not want to do it for an ex-felon, then do it for the thousands of Latinos who are working in the kitchens of your favorite restaurants day after day, the unsung heroes of the restaurant industry. Do it for the people that pick the vegetables that you buy at your favorite supermarket, many of them Latino migrant workers who are too worried about feeding their families than a federal election. Do it for the construction workers that have helped this country bounce back from the 2008 recession. Go into any construction site in Washington, D.C. and tell me if you do not see Hispanics working their asses off to make the new "Ivy City" or "NoMa" out of dilapidated buildings and empty parking lots. Do it for the people that go and clean your hotel room while you are on vacation. They may not be able to vote, but it does not mean that they do not have a voice.
Our Latino community does not have an Al Sharpton, we do not have a Jessie Jackson, we have never had a Malcolm X to fight for our rights. Cesar Chavez was fifty years ago. But we do have a loved one or a friend or know someone who needs papers. We know of someone who is suffering because they live in fear of not having legal documentation. I know that they have a voice, but they will never be heard if we don't let OUR voices be heard. I do not care if you are a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, get your ass out there and vote! People have died so that the brown pigment on your skin will not be turned away at the polls. Go and vote!
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