In The Community
With the current political climate in a state of low-key crisis, advocacy groups are intensifying their efforts to convey the importance of voting. A yearly estimate of 1.4 million Latinos become eligible to vote in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center, yet only 22% of those Latino first-time voters are expected to cast a ballot this year and participate in U.S. democracy. Poder NC, a values-driven North Carolina nonprofit dedicated to empowering the Latine community, has taken a creative approach in trying to close the Latine voting gap.
Poder NC launched a new initiative to boost Latine voter participation through the art of the telenovela. Designed to resonate with Latine audiences and inspire civic engagement, they’ve created a mini-telenovela that uses the power of relatable storytelling to remind eligible voters how important it is to take action with their votes.
The mini-telenovela follows Alexia, a young Latina, as she navigates her personal life, workplace challenges, and her journey to becoming an informed voter. Through humor, touching moments, and references to Latino pop culture, the episodes connect with viewers on a cultural and emotional level. Through each episode, which only lasts a couple of minutes, we see Alexia go from uncertainty to confidence about her role and power in making a difference through voting.
We reached out via email to Latina activist Irene Godínez, Founder and Co-Executive Director of Poder NC, to learn more about this creative and light-hearted approach full of Latinidad. “I want viewers to feel seen and walk away feeling reinvigorated! As the story unfolds with each scene and interaction, we can also see how Alexia becomes stronger [...],” Godínez shares.
“I want the impact [of the initiative] to be for all of us to vote of course, but to make it an activity that we do together, in community! I want folks texting their friends and family to remind them to vote; I want folks to normalize talking about "taboo" topics. We can't build in isolation, we need each other,” she explains.
The final version of the telenovela, which only has an 8-minute runtime, complete with Spanish subtitles, was released on August 1, 2024. This engaging initiative is part of a broader outreach strategy targeting 150,000 "high opportunity" Latine voters in North Carolina—people who are less likely to vote but have significant potential to impact election outcomes. The strategy includes canvassing, mailers that reference the videos, digital ads, and events with beauty service businesses.
Alexia the Voter: In Our Voting Erawww.youtube.com
While the Latine electorate isn’t apathetic or indifferent to what their vote means, Poder NC has found that traditional political campaigns and organizations don’t always engage with the Latine community in a way that’s culturally relevant and relatable to them. This can lead to a feeling of exclusion from the electoral process, which is exactly what this initiative wants to prevent.
“Our voters, like all voters, deserve for us to build outreach programs that are made from a place of love and hope. At Poder NC we build our work as if it's for our loved ones because that's the level of care we have for our community, especially those we don't know by name,” states Godínez. “People are told to ‘choose the best of the two evils,’ but at Poder NC we believe in abundance and if we can imagine more options, we can activate and organize to create the necessary conditions for us to transform our communities for the better,” she shares.
The unique approach to this initiative makes it a first-of-its-kind and that’s because it’s grounded in Latino culture. “Most Latinxs are familiar with telenovelas, whether we love them or not. In order to create impact, we have to meet people where they are. We are at a point, socially and politically, where we have to try new tactics to engage and connect with our people and encourage their civic participation,” asserts Godínez.
“If we want [Latine] involvement, we must think outside the box and use this as an opportunity to lean into our robust culture to create content and programs that resonate with our community. And as corny as it sounds, we need to be building from a place of honesty and love. We can all see ourselves reflected in Alexia, especially during this election year. The novela is an opportunity, too, to create the stories that we want to see embodied in real life!” she concludes.
Poder NC has also partnered with other Latino-led organizations across the country to expand the reach of the mini-telenovela. These partners include the Arizona Center for Empowerment, Florida Rising Together, Voces de la Frontera in Wisconsin, PICO California, and the Latina Initiative in Colorado.
By leveraging these partnerships and championing Latinidad, the initiative aims to inspire Latine voters around the nation and increase turnout. This initiative is a bold new approach to increasing Latine voter participation. In combining entertainment with civic education, the organization hopes to create a more inclusive and engaged electorate, ultimately fostering a political landscape where Latine voices are heard and valued.
After a contentious U.S. presidential election, voters sent a message that they no longer welcomed President Donald Trump in the White House. With an estimated 71% of Latina support, former Vice President Joe Biden will become the country’s 46th president. His running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, will become the first woman, Black woman, and Indian-American woman to serve as vice president of the United States. Despite the spread of conspiracy theories, voter suppression, and decades of being ignored, Latino voters proved to be the deciding factor including turning Arizona blue.
I\u2019ve been telling people this the whole year. In Arizona we\u2019ve been fighting racists and mobilizing against white supremacy for the past 10+ years. It\u2019s not a swing state because of chance. We\u2019ve been working our asses off and it\u2019s paying off. https://twitter.com/leedsgarcia/status/1323361590373097472\u00a0\u2026— Erika Andiola (@Erika Andiola) 1604377441
“Trump’s presidency has been defined by racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and lawlessness, and Latinas have borne the brunt of the pain,” Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy told Luz Collective. “From beginning his campaign by demeaning Mexicans to his disastrous handling of the Covid-19 crisis, which disproportionately affected Latinas and our families, the last four years under Trump have wreaked havoc on our communities.”
Biden will have a lot of work to do to repair the harm that the Trump administration has caused across the country, including in the Latinx community. Recently, Latinas marked Latina Equal Pay Day on October 29, bringing visibility to statistics that show Latinas, on average, earn just 55 cents to every dollar a white man earns. Electing Biden, who has promised to help close the gender pay gap for Latinas, and all women, is just one step toward better economic opportunities for Latinas. Holding him and Congress accountable to the promises made is the second step. Here are three ways that the Biden administration could financially uplift Latinas:
Passage of the HEROES Act Bill
Latinxs are disproportionately affected by job loss and housing insecurity in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes many Latina business owners who have been challenged in accessing programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. An UnidosUS report found that “the threat of depleting one’s savings in order to avoid eviction is exacerbated by barriers that have kept some workers from accessing unemployment insurance or governmental economic stimulus.” On the campaign trail, Biden supported the HEROEs Act, which the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed more than three months ago. If progressed by the Senate, where it has been stalled, Biden would surely sign the bill into law. The stimulus package would allocate $175 billion in rent and mortgage assistance as well as provide resources to navigate the PPP programs and housing counseling services – all of which could positively impact Latinas, including some undocumented immigrants, who weren’t eligible to receive aid through the CARES Act back in March.
Protection for Latina Domestic Workers
The Biden administration plans to enact legislation that would mirror the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, a handful of policies that would extend federal labor protections to domestic workers. Domestic workers, many of them Latinas, are vulnerable to wage theft and sexual assault. The Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights would include guaranteed paid time off and other protections that stand to benefit Latinas.
Latina domestic workers like Antonia care for our homes and families. The pandemic has shown us how essential their work is. It\u2019s time to value their work by ending the Latina Pay Gap and including them in pandemic relief! #LatinaEqualPaypic.twitter.com/87VdKVwdUO— Domestic Workers (@Domestic Workers) 1603998060
Overtime Payment and Minimum Wage
With the Biden administration also comes an opportunity to address the economic concerns of Latinas who earn low wages. Specifically, Biden promises to undo Trump’s overtime payment policies, which currently keeps 1.3 million Latinx workers from earning the overtime pay they deserve. Additionally, Biden promises to increase the minimum wage, which would help millions of Latinas who are overrepresented in low-wage jobs.
We love reliable and unbiased data and this is especially true with the 2020 Presidential Election only days away! This is why we’re excited to welcome back to Tamarindo Stacie de Armas, SVP, Diverse Consumer Insights and Initiatives at Nielsen —a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide—to discuss their 2020 Election Hub. The hub is where you can find the most up-to-date data on this year’s biggest election events. Like Nielsen, we want to highlight the importance of voting and the importance of educating yourself prior to voting. So, please visit the 2020 Election Hub today for accurate information.
Stacie breaks down the data on Latinos and voting and also gives us a lot to be hopeful about the power that we hold as a community.
From the Southwest to South Beach, Latinos seem to have gotten the message on their untapped power, with populations that make up even larger percentages of the electorate in key Swing States. Since the Midterm Elections, places like Florida and North Carolina have seen substantial increases in registrations among Latino voters.
We also talk about Latina Equal Pay Day which is on October 29th, 2020. This is the date that the typical Latina’s wages catch up to what the typical wage was for white men in 2019. That’s right, it takes nearly two years to catch up! Despite this grim fact, Latinas are a force to be reckoned with and we continue to enroll in high education, open businesses and continue to flex our economic muscle. Tune in to hear Stacie distill the data behind what Latina Equal Day means.
Note: Brenda mentions that in the state of California, voters can register to vote even on election day. To be specific, you can register to vote in person at your county elections office, polling place, or voter center during early voting or on Election day in California. Find information for your state here: https://www.usa.gov/how-to-vote
Tamarindo podcast, part of Luz Collective, is the Latinx show where hosts discuss politics, pop culture, and how to balance it all con calma, hosted by Brenda González and Ana Sheila Victorino, and edited by Michelle Andrade.
The Data-Backed Power of the Latinx Community - Tamarindo Podcast - Omny.fm
