by Jeanine Ramirez
“I’m just grateful just to be here with all my Latino brothers and sisters and people from all over. Yes. God Bless.”
– Common
Common joined the Voto Latino fiesta at Chicago’s House of Blues during Democratic National Convention week, helping to energize the crowd and unite voter turnout for the Harris Walz ticket beyond Chicago, where the rapper grew up.
“I was able to evolve and grow and go see other places, I understood that we was all together, especially my brown brothers and sisters. We were going through some of the same struggles.”
Improving the lives of all Americans is on the agenda for Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. It’s a message that Democrats hope resonates with the country’s largest minority group. Here’s NY Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez:
“So I’m asking every Latino, the fact that you see the kind of energy and enthusiasm doesn’t translate into getting out to vote. So when you go home you have to knock on doors, make phone banks, talk to everyone, meet voters where they are and make sure that everyone comes to vote. This is an election that is going to be very tight and so we cannot have the luxury of staying home expecting that people will come out to vote.”
Voto Latino, along with actress Rosario Dawson, took the stage to drive that mission. All week, Latino lawmakers at the United Center spread enthusiasm and a call to action for the historic election. Here’s Harlem Congressman Adriano Espaillat.
“Electing the first woman president, it’s for my mom. It’s for my daughter. It’s for my 8 month granddaughter. That’s what this is about. The nation finally coming to terms with itself that yes, a woman could lead us. And Kamala Harris is of course a tremendous woman and the platform is a big tent approach to government that includes everybody.”
According to the 2020 Census, 62.1 million Hispanics live in the United States, representing nearly 19% of the country’s population. Healthcare, education, economics, border policies, and law and order are all on the ballot. Sergeant Aquilino Gonell worked at the Capitol Building on January 6th and warned against another Trump presidency:
“You need to imagine what he would do if he were re-elected. He has taught us already. He has shown us what he’s capable of on January 6th. On January 6th, I was attacked by more than 40 sympathizers of him. I have videos, pictures, medical bills, reports. I had gone to court to hold these people accountable.”
The Latino vote could be the deciding factor in the election. And Democrats urge Latinos to be present.
“Let’s just be present in this moment, in this time. It’s a special time.”
The post SOURCE LATINO: Voices of Power Across Hip-Hop and Politics Highlight the Power of the Latino Vote at the DNC first appeared on The Source.
The post SOURCE LATINO: Voices of Power Across Hip-Hop and Politics Highlight the Power of the Latino Vote at the DNC appeared first on The Source.