Every 30 seconds a young Latinx person turns 18 in this country, Univision anchor Borja Voces of the news program Edición Digital, tells viewers at the top of an interview with Adonias Arevalo of Poder Latinx, in one of several recent interviews that include LGBTQ community members.
Poder Latinx, says Arevalo, is working hard to register voters in key states like Arizona and Florida. “It’s important that young people see the elections as more than about any one campaign. They have a direct effect on our communities and our daily lives,” Arevalo says. “If we don’t vote, we’re wasting this privilege of raising our voices.”
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Poder Latinx has devised some creative ways to reach voters, like the super hero La Borinqueña (voiced by @RosarioDawson) who helps remind voters in Florida of the importance of registering and voting, and the Drag Voter Squad whose goal, they say is to “Save the election.”
Watch an interview about La Borinqueña on Despierta América.Another recent interview on Al Punto, also on Univision, features San Diego City Council president Georgette Gómez, an out Latina leader running for Congress. Endorsed by Victory Fund, Gómez hopes to become the first openly LGBTQ Latina in Congress.
In the interview, Gómez discusses the of dearth of representation. Latinx people make up approximately 18% of the population but see only some 8% representation in Congress, according to Univision. She also discusses the importance of LGBTQ representation, of fighting for working people and of countering false narratives that hurt immigrants. “My parents are not dangerous,” Gómez has said about the way Latinx immigrants are often villified. Her parents fought extraordinarily hard for their children’s futures, she says, expressing gratitude for their fierce perseverance.