On Monday night, I had the chance to attend the Vote for Freedom rally at the Art Museum. The Roots, Fat Joe, Ricky Martin, will.i.am, Mayor Cherelle Parker and Lady Gaga were all there to support and perform for Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz. Around 11:30 p.m., Vice President Harris took the stage. “My entire career has been driven by a singular purpose: to fight on behalf of the people,” she said. “It’s my pledge to you that if you give me a chance to fight on your behalf as president, there is nothing that will stand in my way. I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress.”
A few days passed, and we woke up to find that we hadn’t progressed much. If anything, we’re more divided than ever. Latino men, surprisingly, seem mainly divided. This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Democratic Party.
I’ve voted in the last 12 elections. The last eight, I voted as a parent. Through these elections, we saw the usual ups and downs—winning some and losing others. Generally, life didn’t change much afterward. The Latino community almost always benefited, and we felt we were progressing. Latinos have typically united on crucial issues: immigration, economic inequality, education, healthcare access, discrimination, and political representation. Naturally, many of us leaned toward the Democratic Party, especially regarding family and social rights. Family is central in Latino culture, and issues like family separation—through deportation or “family detention” policies—hit us particularly hard.
As a parent of four, including two young women and two grandchildren, I thought I was doing the right thing by voting for them for their future. It’s disheartening, then, to see that many of us—Latino men, in particular—felt immigration and the supposed “economic downturn” were more important.
Over the last few days, I spoke with friends who feel this way. One said, “God forbid one of these illegal immigrants hurts one of your daughters.” That comment stung, but I have to accept the reality that some Latinos have been convinced that immigrants are a threat to us.
However, one thing is certain: this only reinforces the importance of staying well-informed and engaged. We must persevere in our fight for women’s rights, human decency, and freedom from hate speech. This journey has no final destination—it’s a struggle that began in the 60s. The difference now is that we thought we were fighting this battle alongside people who looked like us, came from the same countries, and spoke the same language.
If there’s a silver lining in this chaos, it’s that we can say, “We won’t be like them.” We’ll compromise on some issues, but as Vice President Harris said, we “will not concede the fight for freedom, opportunity, fairness, and dignity of all people. That is a fight I will never give up.” I won’t either, my vicepresidenta. Let’s make America kind again.
