A Fight Worth Fighting
As Election Day rapidly approaches, I could not be more proud of the work we’re doing on behalf of the Democratic National Committee. You see, for the last week, I’ve been on the big blue ”Forward Together” bus, traveling the country to highlight the stakes in this election and to urge people to register, mobilize, and vote early.
The scenery has been incredible, the food has been amazing (especially the green chile breakfast burritos in Albuquerque), but the people we met have been the best and most rewarding part of the trip.
Luther
I met Luther in Tuba City, Arizona, a city located on Navajo lands. The “Forward Together” bus tour stopped in the Navajo Nation to celebrate the Nation’s leaders endorsing Hillary Clinton, and to make sure the Democratic Party is listening to all constituencies and standing in solidarity with those who are seeking a better life for their children. And to Luther, that meant the world.
As he put it, “This election means everything to me. It’s about what we’re trying to preserve, as far as our culture, our religion. And what we’re trying to pass along to our grandkids: the teachings and the values of being a Native American… We’ve come so far to fight for our right to vote. We’re trying to preserve what we have.”
As the Western Regional Communications Director at the DNC, I’ve read about all the disparaging things that Donald Trump has said about Native Americans. For instance, he’s continuously referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas,” suggested that Native Americans working at casinos were not “real Indians,” and secretly bankrolled a series of racist ads to oppose Native American gaming in New York state. That’s not what America is about. Luther told me this election isn’t just about choosing our next President; it’s about making sure that his people — and all Americans — are treated with a basic sense of decency.
And one more thing — Luther will be voting early.
Mirna
Mirna is my 25-year old cousin who currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She became a U.S. citizen in 2011, but just registered to vote a couple of weeks ago. Why? Because she simply couldn’t stand idly by with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. I got the chance to spend time with her during our stop in Vegas, and as she told me over gorditas and quesadillas that her mom made for us, “that guy has attacked women, veterans, the disabled, the LGBT community — it’s just not cool, not one bit.”
That said, she added that she couldn’t wait to vote for the first female president in our country’s history, and that she was also excited that Catherine Cortez Masto and Ruben Kihuen were running, both of whom stand to make history in their own right — Cortez Masto as the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and Kihuen as the first Latino elected to Congress from Nevada. Proud that I had just taken a selfie with them both earlier in the day, I showed her this picture below. My cousin’s response? “Now that’s cool.”
Mirna will be voting early.
MJ
4-year old MJ can’t vote just yet, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention him here.
“I’m going to be the next President of the United States.” That’s what he told me as soon as I met him in Tucson, Arizona—literally out of nowhere. Of course, MJ won’t get to be the NEXT President, but the fact that he’s already dreaming that high says everything. It says that in spite of Donald Trump’s hateful rhetoric towards Latinos, a young Hispanic kid can still dream of reaching the highest public office in our country.
And if MJ ever gets a chance to read this, I hope that he, too, votes early when he’s old enough.
People like Luther, Mirna, and MJ — they make this a fight worth fighting.
