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I had the distinct privilege of being a part of ¡Ya Es Hora! Ve y Vota! on Monday evening at Metropolitan State College of Denver. The theme of the program was about the importance of voting. Some of El Semanario’s readers may believe that by the time this column hits the community, it won’t make a difference, as winners of the primary elections will have been elected. Not particularly true! Voting is not all that counts.
¡Ya Es Hora! Ve y Vota! is part of a national movement orchestrated by the National Association of Elected Officials (NALEO) to get brown folks to vote. The Spanish speaking facsimile town hall meeting was attended mostly by young Latinas/os. For the sake of vanity, let’s say that I was a veterano on the panelist. I listened to the passionate pleas made by the Latino’s upcoming young leadership.
I was inspired by the commitment y la esperanza displayed by emcee Jessie Ulibarri, panelist Julie Gonzales, a community organizer from Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, and other young Latina/o upcoming professionals including Celia Reyes, a graduate of Metro College. These young whippersnappers are on the road to becoming part of the professional class; they have not lost faith that change is inevitable or hope for the future.
For years because of barriers such as gerrymandering, poll taxes, literacy tests; and yes, don’t forget about losing faith in the system, Raza did not vote. “My vote won’t make a difference,” and “We never win anyway,” became political rationalizations for not voting. Raza had effectively snookered themselves out of mainstream politics. The group had become an invisible minority whose presence did not matter to politicians.
Then one day the giant was awakened by the howling noises of discontentment. Raza began to vote and something interesting happened as they used the power of the vote to muster their collective voice, especially as the mainstream politicians began to realize its future strength. Right wing legislators in state legislatures began to repeal laws. Yes, voting is critical to amassing political power; but follow through and keeping your community organized and ready for action may be equally important as the machine changes tactics and strategies to maintain control over the social and political apparatuses.
NALEO recently shared with its readers that Colorado was a pivotal factor in President Barack Obama’s presidential victory. Data and analysis of CNN’s exit poll data “reveal that White voters supported Obama over Senator John McCain (R-AZ) by a very narrow margin: 50% - 48%. In contrast, Latino voters strongly supported Obama over McCain by 61% - 38%.” In other words, one can argue that Latino voters were the deciding factor in Obama’s victory. That is power; but its presence also sets the stage for its countervailing force to head back to the drawing board and pull out the oil can.
One example is occurring in the state of Oklahoma after it passed the Development Relief and Education For Aliens (DREAM) Act. Countervailing forces magically appeared in legislative sessions with “Say No to the DREAM Act,” petitions with the following messages: “We, the undersigned, agree that most children do not have a choice when it comes to being brought illegally to América, however…We, the undersigned, assert that by the time the child is anywhere between the ages of 12 and 21 there is ample time to earn legal status and as such…We, the undersigned, urge the Legislative Branch to vote No and deny passage of the DREAM Act which advertently or inadvertently promotes illegal immigration through this reward for criminal behavior.”
On another note, Kansas passed similar legislation. In a conversation with Delia García, current state representative, she informed me that following the passage of this monumental legislation, countervailing forces came knocking at the door for three years. However, the reverse happened. Support had been garnered and the forces have temporarily dissipated. La consciencia did not take a siesta despues del triunfo.
Currently, there are 17 states that are shaping legislation similar to Arizona’s anti-immigrant HB 1070. They include Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. When will that energy invade Colorado? Is Colorado prepared?
Let’s pray that our upcoming young leaders maintain critical consciousness and that they don’t become co-opted while being exposed to American politics. As we all know sleazy politicians make false promises during campaigns but are notorious for not following through. With all of their pizzazz, let’s hope that they can stop the immigrant bashing as immigrants continue to play the role of the whipping boys for América’s recession.
It is the community’s responsibility to keep politicians accountable. Politicians are elected to serve the community. Community members should not bow down to them; reciprocal respect should be practiced vis-à-vis the two groups.
Win or lose, Latina/o communities should always be organized. Voting is not all that counts.
Dr. Ramón Del Castillo is an Independent Journalist.
© 2010 The Weekly Issue/El Semanario, Inc.
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