Principled History, Cultural Crossroads, Responsibility, Character

Earlier this week, Trump took to his anti-immigrant rants proclaiming, “America is a garbage can for the rest of the world”. He’s painting our country with such broad strokes; he doesn’t even realize when he’s denigrating and disparaging himself (grandson of a German Immigrant) and his own family. The entire country should be offended, given that everyone, save Indigenous Native Americans, has immigrant origins from somewhere, just ask Ancestry.com. Two days later, a surrogate in New York’s Madison Square Garden doubled down on the Trump campaign’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, more specifically, targeted anti-Hispanic/Latino, with his reference to Puerto Rico being a “floating island of garbage” . Trump’s complicit endorsement of that remark was evidenced by his silence. Dos Cachetadas en Dos Dias! (Two slaps in the face in two days!) 

This week many of us are preparing “Ofrendas” for “Dia de Los Muertos” a celebration to honor our ancestors. Among the many items displayed will be photos commemorating their life’s journey. As you reflect on your origin stories, take the opportunity to ask yourself “What do you see?”. The universal answer should be generations of family that sacrificed everything to come here to provide their next generation (YOU) with more opportunity and a better life than they had. Now ask yourself “What do you think Trump sees?”. He sees Garbage, Waste, Refuse, undesirables and expendables. His deportation initiative is his version of “Throw out the Trash”. Now, look again, this time at yourself, in the mirror, “What do you see?”. Do you see what your family sees or what Trump sees? Your response will provide you with the guidance you seek for this election. 

An interesting footnote about “Dias” and our pre-Colombian meso-American roots;  it was a cultural characteristic chronicled by the very people who were trying to eradicate the culture and in doing so, contributed to the perpetuation of the practice. Here we are 500 years later, guess what?

As a community, we are at a cultural and generational crossroads. We’ve never been here before. This is as new for us as it is for our country. We are now both the largest and youngest minority group.  This means that no one has more at stake than we do, and by extension the country, since we will comprise the largest source and influx of workforce for the longest period of time, thereby being the largest contributors to the Gross Domestic and Gross National Product for at least the next fifty years. 

To our young people, this places an enormous responsibility and opportunity before you as it relates to the future of our country. That future will be determined by your vote. Will you choose to exercise your rights as a citizen, or will you forego your responsibility and allow someone else to determine your future? “Not stepping up is giving up”. Your families didn’t give up.  They persevered and endured unspoken hardships and sacrifices so that you could have a better life.  Your children’s lives will be shaped by what you do today.

This election cycle we witnessed and experienced the acknowledgement of our significance in the electoral process. Nationally, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, National Campaign Manager for the Biden-Harris, now Harris-Walz ticket came to Detroit this summer before the Democratic Convention and met with EL CENTRAL for an interview. I was honored to be offered the opportunity to conduct that interview alongside managing editor Robert Dewaelsche. A week ago, VP Harris, sitting Vice President and Presidential candidate held a rally in Southwest Detroit at Western International High School. Bookend events of unprecedented historical significance. 

In between, we saw numerous organized initiatives to access and educate our community as to the importance of voting, e.g. LULAC on Project 2025, the first ever Adelante PAC endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket and the “Turn Your Power On” GOTV campaign, www.LULAC.org , MI Poder and their PAC and voter registration initiative, MI PODER , National United Farmworker voter registration project, LLEAD http://llead.org and the LatinX Coalition www.milatinx.org  to name a few. This level of dedicated organization, commitment of resources and manpower represent an unprecedented investment in the political future of our community and country.

Which brings us to character, our character. Voting is a choice as is every decision we make. And every decision we make has consequences. The decision not to vote also has consequences. Not voting does not absolve you from responsibility for the consequences of the outcome. Since you will be assigned the credit or blame for the outcome anyway, make it your choice rather than someone else making it for you. There are times when we measure progress in terms of what we prevent. In this case the invocation of 200 year old laws like the Insurrection Act and the virtual dismantling of government as we know it, in exchange for one that has no regard for the rule of law. That’s not who we are. 

Many, if not most, of our families fled oppression, repression and suppression. I do not believe it was only to come here and submit and succumb to more of what they thought they were escaping. How will you honor their sacrifice, their dream, their vision? By voting? By voting for yourself? By voting for your families, especially the ones you honor and celebrate this and every November.

Bottom line, 70% of eligible Hispanic voters have not voted yet. You can exercise your leadership by influencing every one you know to exercise their leadership by voting. 

Si se Puede! Su Voto es su Voz!