The Latino vote

By Mario Castillo

Latino journalist Jorge Ramos’ book, “The Latino Wave,” refers to the role we Latinos will have in choosing the next president of the United States. The more I think about it, I’m afraid it’s only a nice, attention-grabbing title. The reality is that we Latinos continue to be a slumbering giant. We sleep on, while political forces use the minorities for campaign purposes and when they’ve got what they want, we’re left with only promises.

And this is no surprise. Most of us immigrants come from countries where corruption is a fact of everyday life. Politics is just one more “business” on a long list that includes the buying and selling of drugs, of sex, of influence, and more. There is very little difference between social service organizations and those that exist by screwing over the people.

So we get to this country where it seems that corruption, robbery, abuses don’t exist. Where justice and the law appear to form the central axis that supports society. Where social values, customs and religious beliefs are the fundamental basics of the family. But is this true, or is it simply an illusion? It doesn’t take long for the immigrant to realize that when it comes to politics, there’s not much difference between one country and another.

It seems that those in power are free to lie, abuse, discriminate and even, in some cases, assassinate. The case of Andy López, who was assassinated by a local police officer, is an example.

These are exactly the things that lead our community to mistrust, the same mistrust we dragged with us from our country of origin. The community doesn’t vote because we don’t trust the politicians or believe in the transparency of the electoral process.

Politicians are more focused on attacking to each other to get votes than on addressing topics that are urgent in our community, like immigration, housing, education and the health care system. But instead of motivating potential voters, it actually confuses or discourages them.

“Whatever happens, nothing is going to change anyway,” they respond when asked to register to vote. “We’re still going to have to work like donkeys for a minimum salary without benefits, and we’ll still be treated like an inferior class.” The chief reason they become citizens is so they don’t have to keep renewing their work visas, plus some other benefits such as being able to help their family members come here. But being able to vote is not a big factor.

Most of my people don’t know how the political system in this country works. I attribute this to the indifference and dissatisfaction that we bring from our home county, attitudes that have been passed down for generations. Both the mistrust and the lack of civic knowledge directly affect how we live and interact in the communities where we live.

We are already the largest minority in California, and we continue growing in many other states. So perhaps this is the moment for us to begin to organize our potential. If we can’t organize money, why not ideas and people?

Everyone seems to agree that the Latino vote can play a major role in the upcoming presidential election. But what strategies will motivate this large minority to vote?   Where will the money come from for classes in civics and citizenship, and register to vote campaigns? And where are the leaders to take groups into neighborhoods to round up those voters indifferent to a government that thrives on empty promises?

Politics has enriched the infamous one percent who are holding democracy captive in this country. Yet the vote is the only path we have to change to a more democratic society.

Change is imperative. The U.S. is a country of social contrasts fluctuating constantly under the individualistic pressure of the rich. The poor and most vulnerable continue to lose out, trapped in the isolation of social inequality.

It’s time to change. If we are to have any hope for better possibilities for our children, we need to leave behind the demons of our past.

Here in Sonoma, in our own community, we need some new individuals concerned about how we live. Even though it is true that wherever you go on the planet political systems lend themselves to working to the detriment of the poor, it is also true that everything is not lost. Mexican writer Octavio Paz said almost a century ago, “There is still time to make a change in each one of ourselves, to strive for individual growth that favors those like us, so that within our country and outside of it, the long longed-for new world can be created.”

This is not the moment for individual gain — together we can generate change. This is the moment for action; we can’t wait and watch as society alters and fractures until it’s past any remedy.