Esperanza is honored to present you, the Impacto readership, with an issue borne out of our commitment to community empowerment. In the following pages, you will see the responses of 10 candidates campaigning to be the next mayor of Philadelphia to questions designed to address issues that matter to Latinos in our city.
Today, Latinos make up more than 15.9% of Philadelphians. We are becoming a greater part of this city, and it is time that we are recognized as such. It is time that those seeking to earn our votes address the specific issues we care about. That is why we are hosting the Latino Mayoral Forum: Philadelphia Decide at Teatro Esperanza on April 10th. That is why this issue of Impacto contains the responses of candidates who took the time to address you. Abiding by our journalistic and community organization standards, we extended an invitation to the forum and to answer these questions to all candidates.
At Esperanza, we are working to build an opportunity community where everybody can thrive through a family of organizations that meet educational, housing, cultural, and economic needs. And yet, creating the conditions of possibility for the structural transformation we need includes electing a mayor who is on the side of the people, on the side of what is best for Latino communities, for our small businesses, our students, our teachers, and our neighbors.
Latino voters are rising, not just here, but across our country. We, at Esperanza, are committed to making space for our communities to lift our voices and votes to hold our elected leaders accountable. Our sincere hope is that this issue may provide you with the knowledge you need to cast a ballot on May 16th, the day of our primary elections, empowered and informed.
Fialdelfia decide, y nosotros somos Philly.
Sincerely,
Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr.
Founder and CEO
Esperanza
