#YoVoyaVotar y tu? LTX Fest closes with a major call to action to vote
By: Gabriela Luz Sierra
Together, we can decide who wins the election. This is not a myth, it’s a fact. The Latinx voting bloc holds the most voting power in comparison to any other ethnic group in the United States. Weeks away from one of the most critical election cycles in the history of this country, the last day of the Fest created the momentum we need to get the job done!
“This is a moment of reckoning for our country, but it is an opportunity to reimagine and rebuild our future,” said Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO of the Latino Community foundation.
This message set the tone for the day focused on advocacy and civic engagement. Several Latinx professionals came together to discuss the weight of our vote and presence in public forums and just how necessary it is, especially now.
“We know that by 2045 census projections indicate that Latinos will make up a quarter of the population,” Hector Mujica, Economic opportunity lead at Google.org reminded us, at a talk titled the State of Latinx Unidos.
Not only are we powerful voters, but we are also big tech consumers and innovators. Another one of the day’s stand-out speakers was Maria Matus, CEO of Biobot Analytics, a population health analytics company powered by wastewater.
“I saw information in our wastewater that offered a new way to understand our health,”Matus said.
Part of what constitutes our public health as a community is the environment we create through our actions. Lilibeth Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer at the Kapor Center, in the next panel asked, “What are the actions Latinx need to take in the next 5 years to build a future together?”
The responses were expansive, especially in response to the pandemic.
“Covid is the disease that reveals our illness in society in terms of precarious employment, it reveals the racial wealth gap, the fact that essential workers are not treated with dignity and so much more,” professor of Sociology and American studies and ethnicity Manuel Pastor said. “We are having a moment of awakening in the country and if we can’t take advantage of the moment to create unity, we are failing as leaders.”
The special remarks came from the leader of the largest metro Latinx population city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettti thanked all of the partners who made LTX Fest a success.
In the words of Mayor Garcetti, “dime con quién andas y te diré quien eres.”
Voto Latino & a special GOTV concert by Las Cafeteras set the closing stage for a loud call for those who are eligible to vote louder than ever before. One thing is for sure, together as a unified Latinx community we are an incomparable force and this upcoming election is our chance to prove it.
With that said, #Yovoyavotar y tu!?
