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Hi, Latina journalist here. Since we have more representation on the Supreme Court than we do on most cable news outlets, a few thoughts:
1. Congrats! You’ve noticed we’re not all the same! We differ in race, history, culture, & dialects. Want to sow confusion between Latinos? Have a Puerto Rican tell a Mexican he’s going to call her ahorita — which means later to the PR and now to the Mexicana. See how that goes.
2.Racial hierarchy isn’t American. From African slaves brought via Spanish exploration to some of my Pueblo Indian ancestors to my green-eyed grandma, we come with differing levels of racial experiences. Pew reports that 40% of Latinos faced discrimination in last year. 18% said
. . .passersby would likely ID them as white.
3. Talking immigration isn’t the same as addressing needs of Latinos. If a strong performance from the most anti-immigrant president in history doesn’t tell you that, hang on. Many of us have been here before the US itself. . . .
3. Talking immigration isn’t the same as addressing needs of Latinos. If a strong performance from the most anti-immigrant president in history doesn’t tell you that, hang on. Many of us have been here before the US itself. . . .
Others are mixed status families. Some are families living in communities in which working for La Migra is the only job in town. At least with health insurance and a retirement account.
Healthcare: Latinos across the country have been disproportionately affected by COVID. Hospitalization rates for Latinos are 4.4 times the rate among Whites. We also have the highest rate of uninsured among any racial/ethnic group. And that was before the economy cratered
Economy: One in five Latina workers were unemployed in April. So as you’re watching Nevada, remember that so many work in a hospitality industry that’s been decimated by an outbreak and some who are doing their best to balance fear of death or making rent.. .
Education matters to us. Latinos have been instrumental in the fight for educational equality for decades. Mendez v. Westminster helped lay the foundation for the Brown v. Board of Education. Rodriguez v. San Antonio school board fought (and lost) for equitable school funding.
In other words, we're here. We matter. And we're not going away.
