In The Community
Latinxs in the state have been bombarded with right-wing disinformation and conspiracy theories that have left many in the community disillusioned, and some discouraged from voting. Latina organizers have been challenging these efforts and tactics that they say threaten the U.S. democracy by limiting the ability or reducing the interest of voters to exercise their right to vote.
Get to know the Latinas that are fighting back and mobilizing to expand democratic rights for communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded. Below is a condensed and lightly edited version from their Q&A with Luz Collective.
Ysabella Osses, Gender Justice Organizer at New Florida Majority
At New Florida Majority (NewFM), a voting rights group I’m a part of, we organize in different areas in an effort to expand the electorate so that it’s reflective of the multiracial, multilingual, and multicultural people who make up the state as well as develop leadership in these communities. I’m a Gender Justice Organizer, and I lead the Bad Bitch Brigade, where we work to advocate, defend, and create leadership programs for women and nonbinary people of color. A lot of our work is educational. We create spaces where our communities can learn about the work of elected officials and how local governments work. It’s also about mobilizing. We canvass, phone-bank, and create relationships with the people, and not just during election time, to remind them of their power all year long and empower them to speak with their representatives. One of the aspects of our work that I’m most proud of, however, are the campaigns we co-organize with marginalized groups. For instance, we work with formerly incarcerated populations to bring full voting rights to people with felony convictions and bring dignity to those who are presently incarcerated, including ensuring they have the hygiene products they need and that pregnant individuals are not forced to give birth in shackles.
This work is important to me because I lived through the aftermath of a right-wing dictatorship in Chile, where I was born and raised. To me, it’s critical to bring awareness to U.S. imperialism and how foreign policy can affect the quality of our lives. There is no way I cannot be a political person. All my life, I’ve seen the effects of inequity, poverty, and patriarchy work to keep my family and me in one of the poorest neighborhoods in my country. When I came here, I saw that we truly have the power to organize people, build relationships based on love and compassion, and make change happen. Here, change isn’t just an idea; it’s actually possible if you truly believe in it.
Ana Sofía Peláez, Co-Founder of the Miami Freedom Project
The Miami Latinx vote has always been misunderstood. While reports have long emphasized the Cuban Republican vote, the truth is that there is a lot of diversity in the Cuban-American population that has been underreported and underexplored. Within our own families, there are a lot of different positions and perspectives. But this complexity isn’t visible because the Cuban-American identity has become synonymous with conservatism and republicanism. This imposed identity forces many who deviate from what has become the “norm” to self-censor and has allowed politicians to not address the real issues that impact us. Even more, it has signaled to other Latin American communities in the state that even if they have different political leanings they don’t have the numbers to out-vote the so-called Cuban conservative monolith. This is dangerous and limiting. Whenever you simplify or put people in a box, you lose out on a chance to see the evolution or give people the chance to explore different political, cultural, and societal identities. This is what I’m trying to do with the Miami Freedom Project.
Co-founded with my late friend Patrick Hidalgo, the Miami Freedom Project is a non-partisan voter education program dedicated to giving people in the city the opportunity to explore progressive values. It’s a space for progressive Miamians to talk about issues, policies, and different things that affect all of our communities. I think because Miami has a unique makeup of people who have experienced significant political trauma, we need a space where we can take the temperature down and allow people to express themselves fully, to explore every idea, and to potentially see a new way forward that can be more positive and constructive than the political toxicity that has become part of our culture. With Covid-19, recently we have primarily been focusing on educational content creation.
(Photo courtesy of Ana Sofía Peláez)
It’s my belief that through open conversations that allow people to explore ideas, understand the perspectives of others, and also process the pain and trauma that propelled many of them to move to this city from their homelands that we can begin to change the Miami electorate to one that is more progressive. Miami has been called a city of the future, and I believe that. We have always been a global city with a complex makeup. It’s my hope that this work helps give people the freedom to break from limiting identities and help move us forward for the betterment of everyone.
Frances Colón, CEO and President of Jasperi Consulting
The political leadership in Florida, at the state level and even in Congress, has for a while been in the hands of more conservative thinkers that typically deny the facts and science of climate change. Many have refused to act or take on the policy measures that are needed. In Florida, a state susceptible to hurricanes, droughts, extreme heat, and flooding, this inaction has allowed the region to be ground zero for severe impacts. Through Jasperi Consulting, my hope is to educate communities on science and the environment so that they are energized to vote with these issues in mind.Created in 2017, Jasperi Consulting advises civil society organizations as well as domestic, local, and federal governments on science and environment evidence-based decision-making. I do this mostly by developing relationships with organizations on the ground that are advocating for the rights of the most vulnerable.
I’m a scientist by training, and my career is based on the desire to have facts that inform how society makes decisions that can better people’s lives. I chose science as my path in life because I saw science as a tool for people’s wellbeing. Like me, the Latinx community has a direct connection with nature and closeness to the environment. I think for Latinxs to see and understand what is happening around them when it comes to climate change just takes someone making the connection for them. Once they do, it becomes an important issue they take with them when casting their ballot. The Latinx vote is so important in this election. We are the second-largest voting bloc and we are the largest minority group. Every vote matters, but so much has been done to tell the Latinx voter in so many ways that their vote doesn’t matter. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Cristina Robinson, Communications Director at Alianza for Progress
At Alianza for Progress, a civic engagement nonprofit serving Florida Latinxs, we primarily work with the Puerto Rican community, understanding that providing them with the information needed to be civically engaged can help expand the Florida electorate and make it more representative of the people who live here.
Much of the work Alianza for Progress does center on education, empowerment, and mobilization. Through on-the-ground canvassing and community events to digital content creation, we inform communities about local, state, and federal elections, help them understand the voting process – which generally looks different from their home countries – and enlighten them on some of the candidates. Sometimes, we create spaces where community members can listen and speak with candidates in person. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we have switched to digital organizing, running aggressive texting, and phone-banking campaigns. Aside from the educational and mobilization efforts, we also create campaigns that we hope empowers individuals and communities to be a part of change-making. Most recently, for instance, we ran a successful campaign that got local officials to redesignate a local school named after a Confederate to Roberto Clemente Middle School, the first school in Orlando to be named after a Latinx person.
This year Alianza for Progress is one of five organizations that have been asked to do ballot cure. This means that we are able to assist voters who sent in ballots that were rejected, whether because they forgot to add their signature or other reasons, by helping them cure it before Election Day and making sure their vote counts. There are many problems in Florida, but we believe that people have the power to make a change. We want to ensure that they have what they need to do that.
Photo Credit: Sophia Arredondo Stringer
This year, I will be voting for the first time. My mom and I recently had a conversation about why it’s so important to vote in this election. She told me that voting was significant for her because her family immigrated from Mexico to the United States and had to work hard to become naturalized citizens in order to exercise their right to vote. She herself was born on this side of the border so the right was automatically granted to her. She also reminded me that it was only 100 years ago that women gained the right to vote and just over 50 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. She told me we should never take our right to vote for granted. With that conversation, it hit me. I am a young Black and Latinx voter. I come from two beautiful cultures that worked immensely hard for their right to vote in this country–for the right to be represented.
The Black side of my family, my paternal side, has never been able to fully track our family history because of slavery. What I do know is that I am a descendent of enslaved people from the South. Strong people. Resilient people. The elders in my family grew up during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, at a time when thousands of Black men were drafted to fight in the war but faced intimidation and racism when trying to vote in the country they fought for. Even today, I know that voter suppression is still very real in many parts of the country.
I think about my family today and the world around me. With this pandemic, we had to celebrate my high school graduation with family driving through with signs. There have been a number of family members who have contracted COVID-19 and we worry for their lives. Amidst it all we have protests fighting for racial equality and justice. Between the new stories of innocent lives lost, police abusing their power, families in distress, and loved ones becoming sick, I am considering it all as I approach this election.
When the election happens, I will be away at college, or at least I think I will be. With the pandemic, nothing is certain. I’m trying to balance staying informed about the presidential election, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement on top of getting ready to leave for a school 1,000 miles away. I’m just 18 years old and to put it simply, I’m already exhausted.
While there is a lot I don’t know about the near future, what I do know is that now it’s my turn to vote and I won’t take this opportunity for granted. When I reflect on what I want in a president, I know that not all my criteria can be met. However, I’ll vote for who can advance issues that matter to me such as women’s rights: eliminating the gender pay gap, protecting women’s rights to their own body without government control, the right to have birth control covered by our health insurance. I also care about affordable housing, universal health care, racial justice, and equity and access to higher education. I believe a president should be a leader to all, not just the wealthy or elite. And although I don’t know who will win the 2020 presidential election, I know that the issues that matter to me don’t matter to our current President. This is why I will be voting for Biden.
Now as I approach my first election, I want to make sure other young people vote too.
My generation is often quick to take to social media with our opinions but we must also take action with our votes. I hope that we all wear our “I Voted” stickers on November 3, 2020 and reflect on those who struggled before us to earn the right to have their voices heard.
