00:01 - Not could we not?

00:05 - Use dumb comedy.

00:09 - Okay. Apostle George.

00:10 - You scare everybody away.

00:12 - Okay. Oh, okay. Yeah.

00:14 - The other sessions aren't.

00:16 - Aren't, finished yet?

00:19 - Is. How's everyone doing?

00:22 - Good.

00:24 - I'm excited about this next, panel.

00:27 - I'm actually serving as a substitute moderator,

00:30 - and I love it, because it puts me out of my comfort zone.

00:34 - but we this this

00:37 - these next two topics are very, very important

00:41 - in all of our communities, not just for the Hispanic community,

00:44 - Latino community, but just communities throughout, our great nation.

00:50 - and I'm supposed to be I got a special, request

00:55 - that I'm supposed to ignite a fire

00:58 - in the attendees for these next

01:01 - these next topic.

01:02 - So, civic engagement and immigration panel.

01:07 - I like to, Yeah.

01:09 - Bring up our our panelist, to to our stage.

01:16 - Are we ready?

01:19 - we're ready for our panelists.

01:22 - We're missing one.

01:28 - CC okay.

01:29 - let me let me quickly, introduce our panelists for this afternoon.

01:34 - I'd like to start off with Maria del Carmen

01:37 - Gutierrez Rodriguez trying to say that a bunch of times.

01:40 - Right.

01:42 - she's the Pennsylvania Voice senior director of programs and partnerships.

01:46 - Maria del Carmen is an experienced organizational leader,

01:49 - a visionary thinker from Puerto Rico.

01:53 - she's committed to destructing institutional racism, to promote equity.

01:57 - With over 15 years of experience.

02:00 - planning, developing, managing unions and community organizations,

02:04 - she has designed winning programs

02:06 - and campaigns that have resulted in outstanding achievements.

02:10 - She shared some of those achievements with me in the back before

02:14 - joining Pennsylvania Voice as senior director of programs and Partnerships.

02:18 - She was the senior director of membership of Casa.

02:21 - This multi-state, position led efforts that transformed the organization,

02:27 - into a national immigrant powerhouse, building

02:30 - and overseeing organizing structure and programs of engagement

02:34 - not only here in Pennsylvania, but also in Maryland,

02:38 - Virginia and Georgia, and especially in our Bipoc communities.

02:42 - As, PA voice partner, she oversaw civic engagement, in Puerto Rico.

02:47 - She plan design and oversaw a successful national campaign

02:51 - against the privatizing of Puerto Rico's public school system.

02:57 - as a Puerto Rican, she

02:58 - identifies herself and I do as a documented

03:02 - immigrant, embracing and affirming her culture, language, and tradition.

03:06 - So we have something in common, she and I.

03:09 - She's committed to Puerto Rico's decolonization and,

03:13 - the sovereignty efforts.

03:15 - She believes that immigrants, including Puerto Ricans, indigenous communities,

03:19 - should participate in the electoral process, not as an act of assimilation,

03:24 - but as an act of political power and self-determination.

03:28 - She's not going to be alone on this panel.

03:30 - I also want to introduce, Pennsylvania state Rep Joannie Cepeda.

03:36 - Fraid this, who was elected to represent Pennsylvania's 129th

03:40 - legislative district on November 8th of 2022.

03:44 - Congratulations. Congratulations, Johnny.

03:47 - for over ten years, she worked for Grand Street Settlement

03:51 - and held the position of program director for the Beacon Center.

03:56 - this is, located.

03:57 - It's a School-Based Community Center is located in New York City.

04:00 - In addition to her role as program director, she worked part time

04:04 - as college counselor for Multi-way Secondary School in 2007.

04:10 - Business Opportunity presents itself in Redding, Pennsylvania.

04:13 - She chose to leave New York. Yes.

04:16 - Glad she's in Pennsylvania to become an entrepreneur

04:19 - and a businesswoman, and she relocated her family to this

04:23 - to establish Mikasa Suitcase, a cafe located in downtown Redding.

04:28 - she's received well.

04:30 - She graduated from Kutztown University small business development center,

04:33 - Latino business resource center, business program.

04:37 - same year she became recipient of the James

04:39 - Hyson Entrepreneur Award from Community First Fund.

04:43 - She was a board awarded Business Person of the Year by Latino Chamber of Commerce.

04:49 - she's received numerous awards

04:52 - from Girl Scouts of of Eastern Pennsylvania.

04:55 - Take the lead award, the center final, Greater Redding

04:59 - Chamber of Commerce, this is the really cool one, right?

05:04 - In February 2019, she was appointed councilwoman for district six

05:08 - and riding in June of 2022, she becomes the first woman to serve

05:13 - as president of the Redding City Council, where she served until January 2023,

05:20 - when she then takes office in the state capital.

05:24 - next person

05:25 - I'd like to introduce is state Rep Mike Schlossberg,

05:29 - who was reelected to a sixth term in November 2022

05:33 - and continues his commitment to community leadership.

05:37 - to to address Pennsylvania's mental health care crisis,

05:41 - Rep Schlossberg laid out his agenda hope for Pennsylvania in 2022.

05:46 - This would invest $100 million in public

05:49 - safety by creating safe and healthy communities,

05:53 - improve care by addressing provider and capacity shortages,

05:57 - and help more people through training, education and outreach.

06:01 - This vision is leading the efforts in the General Assembly

06:05 - and within the Shapiro administration, to commit resources

06:09 - necessary to build stronger mental health care for Pennsylvania.

06:14 - As a result, Representative Schlossberg was appointed by the speaker of the House

06:18 - to the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health, established

06:22 - by Governor Shapiro in 2023, and since taking office,

06:26 - he has led many other legislative successes to save lives

06:29 - through better planning and government actions aimed at preventing suicide.

06:34 - These, passages of his measures, required

06:38 - the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation incorporates,

06:41 - protective fencing in road projects to limit suicides.

06:46 - Additionally, Rep Schlossberg has successfully published,

06:50 - the adoption of his legislation encouraging colleges and university

06:55 - to establish suicide prevention plans, legislation to establish

07:00 - an emergency responder, mental health, wellness and stress management program

07:04 - in Pennsylvania.

07:06 - Please welcome our panelist.

07:08 - Welcome. And you? Bienvenidos. It's,

07:11 - You're on the from fire everyone's chat.

07:15 - You know I'm serious. We're getting closer.

07:17 - This isn't over the crashes are you feeling?

07:23 - But you got it all.

07:25 - Believe it.

07:26 - When you fall, get up.

07:27 - Oh, and if you forget, I bet it's. I'm it.

07:30 - I mean, I ain't gonna lie cuz this is Africa,

07:35 - Oh, my God, they have a seat.

07:38 - Make us a supervisor.

07:41 - That was your cafe.

07:42 - Do you still have the cafe?

07:44 - And so you're still there and reading, even though you're busy

07:49 - legislating for us.

07:50 - So my retired mom is holding on the fort, right?

07:53 - We got to keep the tradition alive.

07:55 - The culture going in that great food, you know, reaching people's tummies.

07:59 - That's awesome.

08:00 - and I did, I did

08:02 - did I hear a clap for Janice, who moved from New York to Pennsylvania?

08:07 - She brought all

08:08 - her talents, with her to to Pennsylvania.

08:11 - And thank you, Representative Schlossberg.

08:14 - I know, you it's a busy schedule, right?

08:18 - It's election year.

08:20 - Are we getting ready to vote, folks?

08:22 - Vote on Tuesday, the primary day.

08:24 - Democrat or Republican, please go out and vote.

08:25 - We need you.

08:26 - Please go out to vote.

08:27 - It is, the primary season. Correct?

08:30 - but getting ready for the big, big elections in November.

08:34 - and all elections are very important, but legacy.

08:38 - Maria.

08:39 - Yes. Every election is very, very important.

08:41 - Pennsylvania voice. Pennsylvania voice. Yes.

08:45 - And probably this primary are very, very important because, you know,

08:51 - you elect the people that can really go to your community

08:54 - and help you, not the president, but, you know, absolutely, absolutely.

09:00 - They're all important.

09:01 - But don't you think the local elections are even more so,

09:05 - even more local election, the most senior of you,

09:09 - you know that the possibility that you have to elect those that can serve you

09:13 - and is the most important part

09:17 - of the democracy here in the United States.

09:20 - So we have to use that. Right.

09:22 - And that's part of the definition of being civically engaged.

09:26 - Right.

09:26 - Can you give us, your, interpretation?

09:30 - Yes, I, I have some notes here, and I'm going to use

09:33 - some of my notes in order to not forget anything.

09:37 - So as you said, civic engagement is fundamental for democracy.

09:43 - But for me is lifeblood.

09:46 - is the active and necessary

09:50 - processes of people in the life or the communities.

09:54 - It involves individuals in activities that address

09:58 - community needs and contribute to the public good,

10:02 - making a crucial element for the survival and progress of our society.

10:08 - And these participation could be in many forms.

10:12 - One of it could be participating electoral process

10:16 - as we were talking about, such as voting.

10:20 - But let me remind something that is very important for our immigrant community.

10:24 - You must be a U.S.

10:26 - citizen 18 or older at the moment

10:29 - of voting and registered to vote.

10:33 - However, if you are not a U.S.

10:36 - citizen, you are very welcome in Pennsylvania

10:39 - to do civic engagement in another way,

10:43 - which is you don't need to be a citizen

10:47 - to run and to register

10:50 - programs of, registering voters.

10:54 - You can knock on voter's door to remind them to get out to vote.

10:59 - So both works are very crucial to our democracy

11:03 - and are very important in this civic engagement.

11:07 - In our organization, Pennsylvania Voice, we coordinate the effort

11:12 - of more than 65 organizations, many of them grassroots organizations

11:18 - that target communities of colors

11:21 - in 25 counties that are right now the,

11:25 - the one that experienced the fastest growth in Pennsylvania.

11:30 - Other civic engagement method could be volunteering,

11:35 - community service advocacy efforts.

11:38 - And for me, the most important part is that you are working to change policies,

11:44 - to add more policies to make the lives of other, better.

11:51 - And that's that's how you got elected right?

11:54 - Absolutely.

11:54 - That's how everyone gets elected is through civic engagement application.

11:59 - All so you have to be an active participant of your community.

12:03 - You see something, say something, do something.

12:06 - Right.

12:06 - So to be civically engaged, it goes beyond you know,

12:09 - helping people get elected into office, registering to vote.

12:12 - That's all part of it.

12:14 - But it also means you look out for your neighbors, your neighborhood.

12:17 - Right. your, your local park.

12:20 - You make time to be part of the solution.

12:23 - Right?

12:23 - Because we identify so many problems in our communities, but

12:27 - we have to actively be seeking and be part of those solutions.

12:30 - And I want to stress Maria's point

12:33 - about local government.

12:36 - Local government is the one that really

12:39 - directly impacts your quality of life.

12:42 - So it's very important for you to be engaged at the local level

12:45 - and elections happen every year, twice

12:48 - a year, every year, twice a year.

12:51 - So we need people to be engaged in the process

12:54 - because you vote for us so we could vote for you.

12:58 - Right.

12:58 - And what I mean by that, we vote on your behalf

13:00 - because we're making decisions at the state level

13:02 - that are going to either help or hurt you.

13:05 - So we need everyone at the table.

13:08 - And just to expand on what Johanna just said, civic engagement

13:11 - isn't some kind of esoteric nostalgia thing.

13:16 - It can be something that's very direct and has a very direct impact on your lives.

13:20 - And it doesn't just have to be something that's inherently political, right?

13:23 - Like, Juhani and I go to Harrisburg and whenever we're in session,

13:26 - we're fighting on behalf of our constituents.

13:28 - And sometimes that leads to like, political fights over really hot button

13:31 - issues.

13:32 - But civic engagement doesn't always have to be about life or death.

13:35 - It could be something as basic as the quality of your neighborhood,

13:38 - the literal quality of your streets, or the quality of your children's education,

13:42 - and getting involved in neighborhood associations

13:46 - or school board efforts or educational groups.

13:48 - That civic engagement, especially if it's something that you are passionate

13:52 - about or has a direct impact on your life or the life of your neighbors.

13:56 - So, you said a hot button topic, right?

13:59 - Hot button issue.

14:01 - We know that immigration is,

14:04 - one of those hot button issues,

14:07 - especially, and please,

14:10 - I don't mean to offend anybody, but it's the reality, right?

14:14 - We got a group that just sits there and participates in fear mongering

14:21 - on the issue of immigration.

14:24 - just they refuse to work on solutions,

14:30 - on real solutions, even when you do present the real solutions.

14:34 - So, I mean, how does anyone want to be

14:38 - or get involved and, and especially if you're emigrating,

14:43 - emigrating, not immigrating,

14:46 - emigrating, Puerto Ricans who are U.S.

14:50 - citizens emigrate to the United States, the continental US.

14:55 - We cannot vote for the president of the United States

14:59 - while we are residents in Puerto Rico.

15:02 - So when we emigrate here

15:05 - and they want to include us in the immigration

15:08 - issue,

15:10 - how do you how do you, meet those challenges?

15:14 - Maria, you.

15:16 - Well, Pere Ricans

15:19 - have the US citizens since 1920.

15:25 - and this is what is going on

15:30 - when we need to move to the U.S

15:34 - for different reasons, looking for better opportunities, same as other,

15:39 - immigrants that arrived to this country.

15:45 - we sometimes we do not know that we have the right to vote,

15:51 - for the president and for other, candidates,

15:56 - because we living in Puerto

15:59 - Rico do not have that, opportunity.

16:03 - But at the same time as I who were speaking before, for us, it's

16:07 - a little difficult to engage,

16:12 - because sometimes, we are identified like that.

16:16 - We are privilege of having that document that is very important.

16:22 - But I was reflecting in,

16:24 - meeting the first meeting that

16:27 - I had with, immigrant community when I arrived to

16:32 - to York, Pennsylvania in 2019.

16:36 - And in that meeting, I was hearing,

16:40 - members of that community

16:43 - expressing how difficult is

16:46 - the separation of families, how difficult is leave.

16:50 - And in a place that is not your country.

16:53 - And everything that they were saying resonate to me

16:57 - in the same way, because I was not living in my country.

17:01 - My family is divided.

17:03 - I have four children, two of them in Puerto Rico, two of them in the USA.

17:08 - And no matter, I can take a plane right now.

17:12 - visit them.

17:14 - I need the money to do that.

17:17 - So it's not that everyone can do that. So.

17:21 - But, what I have learned here is that this is now my home,

17:25 - and I need my community to receive the best.

17:29 - I think that we deserve the best.

17:31 - So I am very engaged of,

17:35 - bringing the message to every poor region that is important to participate.

17:40 - It's important to register.

17:41 - It's important to be active.

17:43 - It's important to also raise your hand and be a candidate.

17:49 - Why not?

17:50 - And this is the same for everyone that has the requirements to vote.

17:56 - We need that this democracy in Pennsylvania change

18:00 - to be a multiracial democracy in order

18:03 - for every one of us could be reflected.

18:06 - in those in that legislator,

18:10 - in the local, politicians everywhere

18:15 - that you have, making decision position,

18:19 - we should occupy those spaces

18:23 - in a proportionate way, because right now

18:26 - we are 25, 26% of the population.

18:30 - And when you look, for example, at the Senate,

18:33 - how many of Latino are in the Senate?

18:37 - 100. The state Senate

18:42 - in the state Senate is zero.

18:46 - How many at the House? Six.

18:51 - So that means that our 25%, we are we are now

18:56 - not only underserved,

18:59 - not only burnable, we are also underrepresented.

19:04 - And we need to change that.

19:05 - And civic engagement could be the the key.

19:08 - And and that's very important.

19:09 - And I mean, sometimes in, you know, everything matters.

19:15 - Sometimes I feel man with our, country myself,

19:19 - because it could be because of your name.

19:24 - First and last name.

19:26 - It could be because you just doesn't.

19:27 - You don't look like a typical. Yeah.

19:31 - You know, like, they will like you to look like language.

19:35 - Language?

19:36 - I think I speak English well, and I will not forget también sinto.

19:42 - so I have an

19:42 - accent here, and I have an accent in my parents birthplace.

19:46 - So there's a lot of challenges.

19:48 - how how do you, And then this question is for both of our reps.

19:53 - So you have folks like myself, you have the immigrants, immigrants,

19:59 - not not the Puerto Ricans who are immigrant,

20:01 - because we're also going through those issues when we come here.

20:05 - How do you how do you engage us and young people?

20:09 - Right.

20:10 - Because that's I mean, that's another topic.

20:14 - How do you engage women in politics, voting and just being civically engaged?

20:20 - So so I'm the proud daughter of immigrants.

20:22 - My parents came here from the Dominican Republic.

20:24 - My mom became a U.S. citizen.

20:25 - My dad remained a permanent resident because he was very patriotic.

20:29 - He felt like he was going to give up on his country.

20:31 - If you became a citizen patriot, right.

20:35 - that's how he said it.

20:36 - But in any case, I think it's about modeling behavior, right?

20:40 - That that. So I step up to the plate.

20:43 - You know, I never in a million years imagined that I would be here

20:48 - as a state representative because I hated politics with a passion.

20:52 - Don't ask me the names or the roles or positions.

20:55 - I couldn't tell you.

20:56 - However, that's not a test.

20:58 - That's not a test for you.

21:00 - You know, when I moved into the city of Redding,

21:03 - right as an adult, and again, I was involved

21:06 - in voter registration drives back home and where I worked.

21:10 - But it wasn't until I arrived to the city of Redding,

21:12 - which is really small in comparison to New York City,

21:14 - where I realized the role that politics played in our lives

21:17 - and how important it was to stay active, to ask questions, to be involved.

21:23 - because I realized that people at the local level

21:26 - were making decisions without our input.

21:29 - And again, the city of Redding

21:30 - kind of small compared to where I came from, as a small business owner.

21:33 - I had a lot of local Electeds come in to eat a Cuban sandwich, right?

21:38 - To hang out, to have meetings.

21:41 - Yet they're meeting every week and every other week

21:44 - they're voting on ordinances and local laws.

21:46 - And I'm like, you think you could have asked me before

21:50 - you made a decision to increase health permit fees, for example?

21:54 - Right.

21:54 - So by getting involved, I quickly turned my restaurant

21:58 - into a community hub, a voter registration site.

22:01 - I call it A411 center because it was about making people aware

22:06 - about the needs of their community and also giving them a role

22:09 - and recommendations as to how they can be useful

22:11 - and purposeful in helping change the dynamics.

22:16 - so I believe is that, you know, sometimes, you know, I felt like I had to sacrifice

22:19 - and step up to the plate to make to, to be the change that I saw right.

22:26 - Great answer.

22:26 - so I am

22:31 - let me take a step back for a second.

22:32 - I'm the grandson of immigrants.

22:35 - and the truth.

22:36 - And there's a bit of an irony

22:37 - to all of the fearmongering and demagoguing about immigration

22:42 - is that unless you are a Native American, no one in America isn't an immigrant.

22:46 - Right? And we seem to have forgotten about that.

22:48 - And it's really remarkable

22:49 - the speed at which

22:50 - we've forgotten about that when it benefits

22:51 - certain political parties and elected officials.

22:55 - So as the and I am, let me add, I'm not just I'm not just

23:00 - the grandson of immigrants and also the grandson of Holocaust survivors.

23:03 - So my family who came here on my mom's side, came here

23:08 - fleeing the worst of humanity, looking for a better life.

23:13 - And I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, the only one in that story.

23:17 - Now, that being said, I'm a third generation

23:19 - immigrants, so I'm not stupid enough to think that my experiences

23:23 - or anything similar to Johannes or I'm sure many of you in this room.

23:28 - So my first job when it comes to engaging the immigrant community

23:32 - is to shut up and listen.

23:33 - And I'll be the first one to say that.

23:35 - And that's what we who are lucky enough to be more established

23:38 - in this country, have to do to begin with.

23:41 - Now, from there, what I will say is my job as an elected official

23:45 - is to make sure that every member of my community is welcome,

23:47 - but that has to be in more than just words.

23:49 - It's also in our actions, in on our policies.

23:52 - As an elected official who's represented large swaths of the city of Allentown,

23:56 - I am well aware of the various inequities that our immigrant community and frankly,

24:00 - the entire city of Allentown faces, especially when it comes to education

24:04 - and health care access and that belief that we have an obligation

24:08 - to bring in our immigrant community informs my politics.

24:14 - And that belief is informed by my family history.

24:16 - Like my grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors,

24:19 - they didn't just land and magically pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

24:22 - This idea that we can automatically pull ourselves up by our bootstraps

24:25 - and live the American dream.

24:27 - It only exists when supports

24:30 - are behind that whole motion of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

24:34 - So as a government, our job needs to be to set the conditions

24:38 - to allow everyone to succeed, including and especially our immigrant community.

24:42 - We're very lucky. In the Lehigh Valley.

24:43 - We've grown.

24:44 - We're one of the fastest growing areas in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

24:48 - And if not for immigrants, you know what would have happened to Lehigh Valley?

24:51 - We would have shrunk.

24:53 - So our growth is fueled by immigration.

24:55 - And our obligation then is to continue to make sure that we are

24:58 - a welcoming space for all immigrants.

25:02 - Thank you for that.

25:03 - and, you know, he was, quote, talking.

25:06 - And what I kept hearing was access,

25:09 - access to it all right.

25:12 - Just on an equal level, no equitable level.

25:16 - because Maria talks about.

25:21 - You know, being that the voice

25:24 - for the Disenfranchized

25:27 - helping them to that information

25:30 - and to that process, what what message do you have?

25:35 - that you can share with those, those folks or what do you share?

25:38 - Because, I mean, you're Pennsylvania Voice, or chair

25:42 - chairwoman of the voice, senior director of programs and partnership.

25:47 - And that's a great question.

25:49 - because sometimes

25:51 - we feel like that also that we are unheard

25:55 - and that no one is taking us in consideration.

25:59 - And usually what I do

26:03 - is I remember history, the history of this country.

26:08 - This is a new country.

26:11 - When you compare it

26:13 - with the rest of the world and

26:17 - in this country, slavery was legal.

26:22 - And I imagine that having a force of workers

26:29 - for free make many,

26:33 - companies to really do everything,

26:39 - to not change that reality.

26:43 - But what happened?

26:46 - Black people began to organize,

26:49 - begin to raise their voice.

26:52 - They fight back.

26:54 - And I, the abolitionist, heard them,

26:59 - and they could abolish slavery.

27:02 - Let's move

27:04 - to the right to vote.

27:07 - What we have today is not

27:09 - what happened at the beginning.

27:12 - The second president of the United State, John Adams,

27:17 - established that only white men

27:21 - that possess land have money,

27:25 - were the only one that could vote.

27:29 - Imagine what he thinks he thought by that time

27:33 - about woman and about black people.

27:37 - But today, woman,

27:39 - no matter your race and people, no matter the race, they can vote.

27:45 - And those consequences

27:48 - are has not been coincidental,

27:51 - have not been a gift from from the sky.

27:55 - This is because people probably

27:59 - without money, probably without connection,

28:04 - decided to change that reality.

28:10 - 1974 was

28:12 - when woman could apply

28:17 - on her name, on their name for credit card.

28:22 - Many of us were already born

28:25 - during that time, so we were born in a time that if you were a woman,

28:29 - you were not entitled to ask for a credit card in your name.

28:33 - That was the other day.

28:35 - So transformations

28:38 - are going to happen in the way that people

28:41 - that are affected of those issues decide to take action.

28:45 - So that is my message.

28:47 - We need to really raise our voices.

28:50 - We have to put a sign outside the fear

28:57 - and be brave and fight.

29:00 - So she spoke of transformation.

29:03 - How how can you?

29:06 - How can you go into transformation

29:09 - when people feel disenfranchized disillusioned?

29:15 - This decision, heartened by the current state of politics in the U.S.

29:25 - You the first.

29:29 - Are you asking

29:29 - how do how do you how do you create that transformation?

29:32 - How do you help people believe again in in government, in their power to vote?

29:37 - Right. So.

29:41 - Several things.

29:43 - Right.

29:43 - So one, I think civic education be begins at school.

29:47 - I mean it should begin at home.

29:48 - But we also we're not teaching it at school.

29:51 - I think that we omit certain parts of history that we teach in school.

29:55 - It's almost like we have to teach our children, a sense of pride, right?

30:01 - Of of living here, of being here, being American, of being, you know,

30:05 - from the United States, regardless of where they come from.

30:07 - And, you know, it's also accountability, right?

30:13 - you know, when I go out and when I'm talking to people,

30:16 - you know, and even in my restaurant, like, it's almost like I've been able to use

30:20 - I purposely and intentionally have used whatever resources I have

30:23 - to to inform, educate, empower, engage.

30:27 - Right.

30:28 - I've done that.

30:28 - I've committed to doing that.

30:29 - I'm responsible for that because I believe that, you know, each one teaches one.

30:34 - Right.

30:34 - So it's on each and every one of you in this room on this panel to,

30:38 - to everyone that you speak to, to engage them and really inform them.

30:42 - And, you know, even in my restaurant, it's like anybody

30:44 - that would come in for a cup of coffee, whatever.

30:46 - I keep stacks of voter registration drives on my counter,

30:50 - you know, and I talk to them about why it's important

30:52 - and some of them are not eligible.

30:54 - But I still say, but there's more that you can do, right?

30:56 - Because you you can be part of the process, even if you're not a U.S.

31:00 - citizen, even though

31:01 - you don't have the right to vote while you're working towards that. So

31:05 - and I don't know if I'm answering the question,

31:07 - oh, you are you're, you know, and also I'm very raw and real, right.

31:11 - Because, you know,

31:13 - we know our community and that's why representation is also, of importance.

31:17 - And that's why representation matters.

31:18 - Because I can connect with a lot of those folks.

31:22 - And I see that, because you and I have shared in

31:24 - many spaces, you make yourself available to people.

31:28 - So you, you, you are part of making sure

31:33 - that it's transformational for everybody, accessible to everybody.

31:38 - Two things I want to add to that.

31:39 - First, transformation occurs best when it's one on one.

31:44 - There are multiple studies that show that the most effective way

31:46 - to actually convince someone to do something

31:47 - politically is in a TV ad or social media ad.

31:50 - That helps. It wouldn't we wouldn't do it if it didn't help.

31:53 - But it's one on one and it's doorknocking

31:55 - phone calls, direct field contacts, like.

31:58 - And that leads me to my second point, which is the best way to end

32:01 - cynicism about government and politics has to occur on a local level,

32:05 - a statewide level, and at the federal level, direct access

32:08 - to your elected official.

32:09 - I mean, with Johanna, we were having this conversation.

32:10 - We represent about 65,000 people.

32:12 - So access to us is not challenging.

32:14 - You start talking about the governor or something like that.

32:16 - Obviously more of an issue, but on a local level,

32:20 - when you can really easily interact with your elected officials,

32:24 - when you can pick up the phone and call them,

32:25 - and if they're worth their salt, then they're going to call you back

32:29 - and you can

32:30 - convince them to do something that makes a difference.

32:33 - So I really think that that

32:36 - making transformation occur at the societal level has to be a

32:39 - one on one and has to be at the local level,

32:41 - because that's when you can actually really see results.

32:43 - That's why what you were saying before about local elections,

32:46 - people come out and vote the most in presidential elections.

32:48 - Like that's insane to an extent, because your school board elections

32:53 - and your local elections have a much more direct and tangible impact

32:56 - on your life than anything that happens at the national level.

33:00 - And if I may add to that as well, because even in our role as state representative,

33:04 - like we have resources, we have staff, we have information access information.

33:08 - So in my office I make it a point to use all those resources to pay attention

33:12 - to my community members

33:14 - and acknowledge them, recognize them, highlight them, celebrate them.

33:18 - Right?

33:19 - Because too often we get caught up on watching all the negativity

33:23 - that were exposed to in the news.

33:24 - So I make it a point of whether it's your birthday

33:26 - to reach out and say Happy Birthday. I'll send you a card.

33:28 - If you've accomplished something, or even if you're celebrating an anniversary.

33:32 - Like we pay attention to every so as much as we can newspaper, social media,

33:37 - everything and anything to just make sure that people know that we're here.

33:41 - We want them to know that

33:42 - that that we are available to them, that there's so many services.

33:46 - Right?

33:46 - Because I think Julissa said this earlier, you know, knowledge is power.

33:50 - And I truly, wholeheartedly believe that.

33:51 - So the more we're sending disseminating information

33:54 - and gathering and and letting people know that we're real people

33:58 - and we show up and can thank you for that.

34:00 - You know, Covid exposed everything that was wrong, right?

34:05 - It gave it that. I heard an amen out there.

34:11 - yeah, they did.

34:13 - And they're shining bright.

34:14 - yeah.

34:16 - So it exposed everything that was wrong fundamentally,

34:20 - you know, because it gave it that national spotlight.

34:22 - But it also exasperated, some of our, you know, some of our current problems.

34:28 - That's why we have a Latino Health summit.

34:30 - I'm hoping there's conversations about mental health.

34:33 - Right.

34:33 - Because, my God, you can go nuts just watching all the foolishness

34:37 - that's going around.

34:38 - So, I mean,

34:41 - how does it how does,

34:43 - civic engagement and just all of this,

34:47 - affect your mental health, your your own

34:50 - personal mental.

34:53 - Well, let me tell you what we do in Pennsylvania.

34:56 - Voice.

34:59 - we run through programs,

35:01 - the first one is civic engagement,

35:04 - but it's specifically about voter registration is specifically

35:10 - about turnout.

35:12 - And our partners are the one that execute that that job.

35:16 - And they target specifically communities that are communities of color.

35:22 - So their messengers are part of those communities.

35:27 - And what, for example, for the primaries,

35:31 - they already, registered 10,000 new voters,

35:36 - and now they're right now knocking on doors

35:40 - to invite them to vote, to ask them

35:45 - what are their plans to get out and vote

35:48 - and to really participate in this important process.

35:52 - We are right now, you know, working

35:56 - towards the presidential, which is in in November,

36:01 - and we hope to register more than 60,000 people

36:07 - that are specifically from our community

36:10 - and why we limited to our community.

36:13 - The reason is that because, first of all, we are underrepresented

36:18 - and for our community

36:21 - is more difficult to vote.

36:24 - So open access

36:27 - to everyone is important in this state.

36:30 - And one of the other programs that we run

36:35 - the name is voting right and Election Administration.

36:39 - And those partners that are there are working identifying

36:45 - what Pennsylvania can do to

36:48 - to be more accessible in the voting process.

36:52 - And let me share something with you.

36:54 - In 2022, lawyers will journal,

36:59 - presented,

37:01 - the result of a survey that they did,

37:06 - where they qualify.

37:08 - How accessible is voting in every state?

37:14 - And do you know, what is the rank

37:17 - of Pennsylvania? 32?

37:22 - Pennsylvania is the

37:26 - fifth state with most population,

37:31 - and being ranked 32

37:33 - is bad for the whole democracy of the country.

37:37 - But it's really bad for us.

37:39 - So in this work group that we, run,

37:44 - we identified after

37:48 - surveying voters that one of the reasons

37:52 - that the turnout, could be increased

37:57 - more is if the date of the election

38:02 - is not the only date that you can vote

38:06 - in more than 20 states,

38:09 - the date of the election is the last day

38:12 - that you can vote so early.

38:15 - Vote in person through a machine

38:20 - could make more people to access to the ballot.

38:25 - Not only our community, everyone.

38:29 - Another option

38:31 - is that you don't have to register

38:35 - until a specific day.

38:37 - In Pennsylvania, you have to register before 15 days before the election.

38:43 - If you do not registered during that time, no matter you wanted to go and vote

38:49 - and no matter you qualify because you are a US citizen,

38:52 - you have the H, but you are not registered,

38:55 - so you can not vote in many other

38:58 - state the same day of the election.

39:02 - You can registered and vote at the same time.

39:06 - I have good news.

39:08 - We mobilized our partners

39:11 - and we found a champion at the house.

39:15 - so our speaker, Johanna

39:19 - McClinton, is going to introduce a bill

39:23 - to give us those rights.

39:26 - And I know that both of the representatives that are

39:30 - here are also supporters, and we need to continue identifying

39:36 - those possibilities, bring it to the representatives

39:41 - that are the ones that make decisions and begin

39:45 - to make Pennsylvania more accessible for everyone to vote.

39:50 - And the Senate is another story

39:54 - because, you know, thank for the work that we did in the redistricting,

39:59 - which is a process that not many of us knew about it.

40:04 - And because it are some of the healing process

40:09 - in the democracy that instead of you as a voter decided

40:16 - who are going to be your candidates, what is going on is there is the opposite.

40:21 - Candidates are deciding who are going to be voting for me.

40:25 - So those things are important and engaging our community.

40:29 - Sometimes we saw

40:31 - that our

40:32 - community is not capable to understand this,

40:35 - but if you give me two minutes, I can share something that happened

40:39 - when I was running the redistricting process, specifically

40:42 - in your county, Lancaster and Dauphin.

40:45 - I remember this lady,

40:48 - when she understood everything about the redistricting

40:52 - and how our power could be break and diminish.

40:56 - She told me this all.

40:59 - So it's not because we are not smart enough

41:02 - that we are in making decision position.

41:07 - It is because the process, the system

41:11 - is stopping us for participating.

41:14 - And yes, she understood that day

41:18 - that she has to really activate himself

41:23 - because she doesn't want to keep away

41:27 - of everything that is happening that is are affecting their community.

41:31 - She wants to be the person and,

41:34 - engaging others to change how things are.

41:38 - And I know that you are from Lancaster and Lancaster.

41:41 - We could, add another house district,

41:46 - and now we have one, black other person

41:51 - in that, house because of that. So.

41:57 - We cannot, you know,

41:58 - we know that is difficult, but we have to work.

42:03 - We have to trust our people.

42:05 - We have to talk with them with honesty.

42:09 - This country is excellent, is beautiful.

42:13 - They open their arms to all of us.

42:16 - But there are things that need to be fixed.

42:18 - And we are here to do that.

42:21 - Thank you. Thank you for your work.

42:23 - immigration reform is essential.

42:26 - We noticed, have been an issue in this country.

42:29 - Our, our economy, whether it's a local.

42:33 - And you mentioned that earlier, represented Schlossberg.

42:36 - How if we didn't have this immigration not only in the Lehigh Valley.

42:41 - I can remember Lancaster, where I'm originally from.

42:45 - yeah.

42:46 - Lancaster was very desolate when I grew up.

42:49 - Everybody had gone out to the suburbs, the malls

42:54 - and all the homes and, look it up.

42:59 - It was the Hispanic community that started propping up the local businesses.

43:04 - All right.

43:04 - We had an influx of, folks from New York, from Dominican

43:08 - Republic that came and adopted Lancaster as, their own city,

43:13 - their new, place of, that they call home.

43:17 - we had an influx of Colombians.

43:20 - They were the new business owners,

43:23 - who were supporting our local economies.

43:28 - then we started organizing and strategizing

43:32 - and doing the the movements and getting folks involved, civically

43:35 - involved, in to learn about

43:38 - school board and, you know, city politics.

43:42 - And we started effecting those changes in the community.

43:46 - Lancaster now is all over, public national media

43:50 - is one of the best places to visit and stay.

43:54 - And guess what?

43:57 - many of us that grew up in the city

44:01 - can't even afford to live in the city, including,

44:05 - you know, my own mother, who's lived, most of her adult life in the city

44:10 - and is constantly being run out of her apartments because they keep increasing.

44:15 - you know, I just immigration's really important to be,

44:19 - to bring innovation, to bring that hard work ethic.

44:26 - if you don't know what hard

44:28 - work looks like, go out to the fields and see them,

44:33 - see, see our Hispanic community, see what they bring to our country.

44:38 - you know what what leadership opportunities for Latinos in Pennsylvania

44:43 - are there, to be involved civically and,

44:46 - and and to address this immigration.

44:54 - Somebody say so.

44:55 - No, no, no.

44:56 - And I can and again, the answer fortunately,

45:00 - when it comes to civic and political engagement,

45:02 - you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Right.

45:04 - It's not as if if you are interested in immigration reform,

45:07 - want to get involved in making sure that there is a more fair

45:10 - and just immigration policy in the United States, there's a struggle for groups.

45:13 - There are a slew of organizations of all stripes

45:17 - that you can potentially get involved with.

45:19 - I can't think of any

45:22 - I despite what some of my

45:25 - colleagues will tell you, including with a recent press conference this week.

45:28 - At the state level, we don't deal with immigration, not really.

45:31 - It's primarily a federal issue now.

45:34 - There are state ramifications, but they tend to deal with issues

45:37 - like job creation, education or driver's license issues.

45:41 - So it's not something that we deal a ton with.

45:44 - But there are no shortage of groups that you can potentially get involved

45:47 - with that deal with immigration.

45:48 - And those groups can tell you exactly where you can spend your time

45:52 - and your efforts making the biggest impact.

45:55 - So in my local area, writing in particular, I mean, you even

45:59 - you have organizations like the Greater Writing Immigration Project.

46:02 - There's Make the Road.

46:04 - I think it needs to start back at home wherever you live, like

46:08 - start identifying those organizations that

46:11 - that are having impact in your community that you'd like to support,

46:14 - that you'd like to volunteer, that you'd like to be a part of.

46:17 - and that's where it starts, right? It starts local.

46:20 - And then you kind of like work your way up.

46:22 - Also, I find that a lot of my colleagues and myself,

46:26 - we're always mentoring, you know, we're always helping.

46:29 - We're always uplifting our community.

46:31 - Right?

46:31 - As we learn, we share and I think that's important

46:35 - because sometimes, you know, you can't ever forget where you come from.

46:38 - And you got to make sure

46:39 - that you're rising with your community and everybody has a role to play.

46:43 - So I say, check your organizations back at home,

46:48 - figure out where there might be gaps and resources and

46:52 - and just excuse me, gaps and voids and just, step in or step up.

46:57 - And I can add that, that some of those grassroots

47:00 - organizations like Carson make the road big.

47:04 - And there's another one, they also

47:08 - run programs of union engagement.

47:11 - And as I told you before, for example, to register

47:15 - voters, you don't have to be a U.S.

47:18 - citizen.

47:18 - You need a work permit and also to work for the turnout.

47:23 - You can also do that job and I can remember

47:27 - when I was working before PA voice, I was, staff of Casa

47:31 - in 2019 were from,

47:35 - the census program with PA voice and

47:40 - I had

47:42 - almost like 60 canvassers

47:46 - knocking on doors in some counties.

47:50 - those canvassers, I think that probably a dozen of them

47:55 - today are leaders of Casa

47:58 - because there's no small job, you know,

48:02 - every job that you can have

48:07 - work hard and lead by example.

48:11 - And you are going to find that in some of these organizations,

48:17 - they already have this ladder of professional development that can help

48:22 - each one of you and to continue and thrive in what you are doing.

48:28 - May I just one more point?

48:29 - also visit your local, government websites, right.

48:34 - you know, at the city city websites because there's boards,

48:38 - authorities and commissions.

48:40 - They that there's a tons of work.

48:41 - I know in the city

48:42 - already in particular, there's always like an abundance of vacancies

48:45 - and it's always the same people that get appointed because no one's applying.

48:50 - So I would encourage you to visit, you know, whether you're

48:53 - in a burrow, a township, city or whatever.

48:56 - Look at their, look at your website, look at your government website

48:59 - and figure out where those vacancies might be

49:02 - and where, again, your skills, your time could be.

49:05 - You know, you can be purposeful.

49:07 - So I'm I'm going to ask Maria, how can people who are not yet

49:11 - citizens of the United States play an appropriate,

49:15 - active role in building or continuing, healthy democracy?

49:20 - Well, for me, they are fundamental

49:25 - when you do not have the right to vote

49:28 - and you suffer, injustice,

49:33 - you can feel like your hands are like you cannot move them.

49:39 - So when you are like that,

49:43 - you are the best person

49:46 - to introduce the importance

49:50 - of voting to those that can vote.

49:54 - So those testimonies of what

49:56 - is happening in your in your community

50:00 - that the the lack of services

50:04 - that you do not receive because you don't have the US to

50:08 - citizenship is the best opportunity that that person have to engage

50:15 - the rest of the community and

50:18 - I think that when you

50:22 - decided to immigrate from your country to come to this country,

50:27 - if you decide to continue in the shadow, you are not

50:32 - doing many difference

50:35 - because you are invisible.

50:38 - And I understand you know, the, the, the, the

50:43 - that people are afraid of deportation.

50:47 - But at the same time, I think that

50:52 - you are so brave when you decide

50:55 - to leave behind what you have in your country.

50:59 - And sometimes with babies on arms,

51:02 - you know, you cross that river or you cross the frontier

51:07 - deciding to look for a better life.

51:12 - You cannot be in the shadow.

51:14 - You cannot be hide.

51:16 - You need to really step out

51:19 - and begin speaking with others

51:23 - and share what your suffering are, because that's the way

51:28 - that we can teach those that do not see us.

51:33 - How is the life when you are an immigrant?

51:36 - And I think that the U.S.

51:37 - citizen doesn't change ever, that you are going to continue being an immigrant.

51:43 - And I know as a pure Rican, no matter you, you know us.

51:48 - You explain that we emigrate.

51:50 - But I am immigrant. Immigrant.

51:52 - This is not my country.

51:53 - I have my country and I live here.

51:57 - I love where I live, I love Pennsylvania, I will continue working hard,

52:03 - engaging voters to transform this,

52:06 - this, this state, to be a multiracial democracy.

52:09 - And but at the same time,

52:13 - I will be giving testimonies

52:17 - that I heard and also share mine

52:20 - in order to make others participate.

52:24 - So being an environment

52:27 - should not be any way

52:29 - a limitation for anyone to thrive.

52:33 - And, you know, just brought up to my attention that many of us,

52:38 - even though we might feel like our people, make us feel like we don't belong,

52:43 - many of us, you know, sign on the dotted line.

52:47 - We give up our lives to serve this country.

52:50 - I'm not going to toot my harm, but I did serve the United States Marine Corps.

52:55 - and I sign my life away because I love this country.

52:59 - You know, I was born here.

53:01 - I'm a four for four fan in Philadelphia.

53:03 - I love the Sixers and the Eagles and the fliers.

53:05 - And I go to games and I, you know, and I cheer,

53:09 - you know who needs to be cheered?

53:12 - And I also booed. Who needs to be booed.

53:15 - And, so we're part of the

53:17 - fabric of our, this country, of our cities.

53:21 - you know.

53:25 - What advice.

53:26 - And I'm going to lean to the left here.

53:29 - And I didn't mean to say it like that either.

53:33 - But they are to my left.

53:35 - what advice do you have for aspiring leaders,

53:39 - from the Hispanic and Latino community, but not just from the Hispanic or Latino

53:44 - communities, because I'm hoping that there's leaders from all spectrums, right?

53:49 - That we can have different voices and that our needs are being met

53:53 - not just in the Hispanic community.

53:56 - sorry.

53:58 - what advice do you have for aspiring leaders?

54:01 - Not just in advice, for advice

54:05 - on a panel?

54:08 - And so I think one oh, for for real.

54:10 - And I didn't mean to interrupt you, but sometimes our brain

54:14 - is either in Spanish mode or English mode.

54:17 - And it's it's a beautiful. Yes. I hate when that happens.

54:20 - It is a beautiful thing.

54:22 - So what what is advice for aspiring leaders?

54:27 - I mean,

54:27 - first recognize that you are a leader, right?

54:31 - I always I'm always what I do for me.

54:34 - Like I'm always self-reflecting, right?

54:35 - Creating inventories of what I'm good at, what I'm not so good at, and trying

54:39 - to always better my skills so I can be a better human being first and foremost.

54:43 - So advice don't give up, you know, assess.

54:47 - Make an inventory of the things that you're really good at.

54:49 - What do you enjoy doing.

54:51 - and you know for for women in the space.

54:54 - Right.

54:54 - A lot of times we create our own obstacles for ourselves

54:57 - because we're too much in our head doubting ourselves in our capacity.

55:01 - Right. So recognize who you are.

55:03 - Accept that you are a natural born leader, right?

55:06 - Sometimes you just need a little push.

55:08 - Right?

55:08 - And I think, you know, I'm going to reference again,

55:10 - Julissa Calderon, because she was on the stage saying this.

55:12 - But it's like you have to recognize your power, own it, embrace it and utilize it.

55:17 - Right.

55:18 - You know, we're waiting for you.

55:19 - Like make that step and don't be afraid.

55:24 - There's going to be a lot of doors that are going to close on your,

55:27 - in your face.

55:28 - You just keep looking for that door that's going to remain open for you.

55:31 - And if not, you break down the door right?

55:34 - So don't ever give up, you know, be proud of where you come from,

55:39 - who you are, and embrace that, because that makes you who you are.

55:44 - And everyone in this room is very powerful.

55:47 - You're a powerful human being, you know, get out of your own way

55:50 - and just exercise that power that you you were born with.

55:53 - Don't be afraid.

55:54 - I always say walk in faith, not in fear.

55:58 - two things come to mind for me.

56:00 - First of all, understand where you want to lead.

56:03 - Because being a leader is one thing, but you have to be able to apply

56:06 - that leadership to a specific area.

56:07 - I always knew I wanted to get into government.

56:09 - In politics, it was just a little unsure of where, specifically in what path.

56:13 - But if you want to get involved in government or politics, find the people

56:17 - to find.

56:18 - Figure out what your pathway in is.

56:20 - Identify the organizations that can help you get in.

56:23 - And that leads me to my second point getting involved in almost any industry

56:27 - or sector is impossible.

56:28 - Without a good mentor,

56:29 - I would never

56:30 - have achieved the level of success I had if I hadn't been smart enough to know that

56:35 - I wasn't that smart and to find people that could help me through.

56:38 - My mentor, the woman who I worked at when I was in college as an undergrad

56:41 - and then in grad school, was a woman named Jennifer Man.

56:43 - She held my position previous to me and if not for Jen,

56:47 - I never would have achieved any level of success.

56:50 - So identify the people who can help you get there, and then ask

56:54 - if they're willing to sit down and shed their time and spend their time

56:57 - and expertise with you, and try to find a way up from their.

57:02 - Plus one to both, definitely.

57:05 - I, I can add that recognize

57:09 - that there are cultural differences among Latinos.

57:14 - that is why

57:17 - we should not limited ourselves only to the Latino community.

57:22 - We have to open and join efforts with other community, the black community,

57:28 - the AAPI community, the Arab community.

57:32 - together we suffer almost the same issues.

57:37 - So that means that let's instead of

57:41 - fighting among us, let's join forces

57:44 - and target where we can make changes.

57:49 - And another advice

57:52 - is to build relationships.

57:55 - We have to talk to people and more than us talking, we have to listen people.

58:03 - What are the necessities?

58:04 - What are the reality?

58:07 - I could say also that

58:10 - bring your culture to your to the table.

58:13 - Don't hide it.

58:15 - Be visible.

58:16 - You know, bring it that your culture means that

58:20 - you are proud of who you are, but also choice. Cho.

58:24 - confidence in yourself.

58:27 - know your history, the history of your people.

58:33 - And I need to emphasize that it's not the history

58:37 - that probably you learn at school.

58:41 - It's not the same.

58:42 - The history that conquerors and empires tell.

58:46 - learn the history that probably your ancestors has, passing

58:52 - through generations in your family and deciding which position you are.

58:58 - You know about that history.

59:01 - And once you decide it,

59:04 - defend that position

59:07 - and my last advice is that.

59:13 - To win, you need more than one.

59:16 - Winning is not an individual,

59:19 - action or consequence.

59:23 - You need to be Latium and to be Latium.

59:27 - you have to be humble

59:31 - and be transparent and establish goals.

59:37 - And once you establish your goals, create your plan,

59:41 - create your

59:42 - strategy, and work together toward that goal.

59:47 - Thank you.

59:47 - That's, that's a wonderful.

59:52 - I like the part where you said that.

59:54 - Embrace your culture and share it.

59:57 - You know, there's good

59:59 - 366 in all cultures, so don't be afraid to share that identity.

01:00 - 07.470 And the stories, we do that a lot in in the,

01:00 - 11.274 weapon empowerment center that's available to everybody.

01:00 - 13.876 And we allow people to share their stories with us.

01:00 - 15.278 And that's how we learn.

01:00 - 18.014 we're going to move on to, question and answer.

01:00 - 19.716 There's Pennsylvania.

01:00 - 24.287 it is an election year, national election year.

01:00 - 24.587 Right?

01:00 - 27.857 I did say that earlier, primaries on Tuesday.

01:00 - 32.061 Pennsylvania is a huge, swing state, right?

01:00 - 33.496 Very important state.

01:00 - 38.368 And John F Kennedy said that, when he was running for, president

01:00 - 43.840 of the United States and he mentioned Pennsylvania being, very important,

01:00 - 47.276 do we have questions from our audience?

01:00 - 48.478 I can't hardly see here.

01:00 - 51.481 It's, there's a few folks

01:00 - 53.383 that are here.

01:00 - 56.586 Anybody have questions for our, political leaders?

01:00 - 01.424 Anyone?

01:01 - 04.927 No. Everybody's ready to go

01:01 - 06.429 into the conference.

01:01 - 07.964 Is always really hard for Q&A.

01:01 - 10.466 Everyone's like, all right, maybe enough out of you.

01:01 - 13.469 That's why I was volunteered to be the moderator.

01:01 - 15.471 But I did enjoy myself here.

01:01 - 20.576 maybe you can answer this question or, if you choose to do so.

01:01 - 24.981 and I did mention that is an election year, Pennsylvania being the swing state,

01:01 - 28.151 Latino and Hispanic groups, represent

01:01 - 31.154 the fastest growing segments of our population.

01:01 - 35.425 Please, share, the importance of voting to be

01:01 - 38.428 the voice of those that cannot vote.

01:01 - 40.596 And this I can speak to.

01:01 - 41.931 And I think actually giving an outside

01:01 - 44.934 perspective is a little bit more helpful to answer this question appropriately.

01:01 - 48.538 Look, as an elected official, we do the best job that we possibly can,

01:01 - 51.541 but the truth is that every elected official, no matter how good they are

01:01 - 54.677 or how bad they are, is motivated by the desire to get reelected.

01:01 - 56.913 And that means if you vote, we pay attention to you.

01:01 - 58.581 It's really very simple in that regard.

01:01 - 02.251 If, as if communities do not vote, they do not get attention paid,

01:02 - 03.152 they do not get attention

01:02 - 06.589 paid in terms of resources and in terms of time, in terms of meeting,

01:02 - 08.024 in terms of presence,

01:02 - 12.161 which means that it's incumbent upon every community to get out there and vote.

01:02 - 16.132 There is a reason that you see elected officials of all stripes, but especially

01:02 - 19.368 those running on the national level, speaking very, very specifically

01:02 - 23.339 to certain demographics and certain, ethnic and racial groups.

01:02 - 25.441 If you vote, you get attention paid.

01:02 - 26.943 If you don't, you don't

01:02 - 29.779 do one.

01:02 - 30.513 Well.

01:02 - 36.252 So for me, you know, voting is like, do or die, right?

01:02 - 40.556 People died, women were tortured and died.

01:02 - 43.793 For us to have the right to vote.

01:02 - 45.762 So what are we waiting for?

01:02 - 48.931 For that right to be also taken away from us as women.

01:02 - 52.201 So it is your obligation is your duty.

01:02 - 53.936 It is your responsibility.

01:02 - 57.540 That is how you choose how you want to live,

01:02 - 00.943 how that is how you make a difference also in your community,

01:03 - 04.046 who you elect to speak on your behalf.

01:03 - 07.083 Who do you elect to make decisions on your behalf?

01:03 - 07.550 Right?

01:03 - 10.553 That's why voting is so important.

01:03 - 13.990 That's the only way we're going to find solutions.

01:03 - 16.626 By putting the right people in these positions

01:03 - 19.862 to make the right decisions that benefit all of us.

01:03 - 23.399 So please go out and vote.

01:03 - 27.570 Please take your neighbors to vote, your relative to vote.

01:03 - 29.472 I make it a point to always take my mother.

01:03 - 30.740 I go, wait, I have no mom.

01:03 - 32.642 Let's go later.

01:03 - 34.844 Bye, mom. Right?

01:03 - 35.745 Yes, right.

01:03 - 36.813 Let's go.

01:03 - 39.916 So everybody has a body. Take yourself.

01:03 - 42.552 Take your neighbor. Take someone with you.

01:03 - 42.985 Thank you.

01:03 - 48.224 I want to thank Jorge Fernandez for putting, this platform together.

01:03 - 50.560 And please continue to do so.

01:03 - 56.332 Our community needs this space to be able to share, you know, good advice.

01:03 - 00.102 And for, as we work towards a better future, I want to thank

01:04 - 03.873 Maria del Carmen Gutierrez for a great panel.

01:04 - 05.107 And I didn't say it in English.

01:04 - 06.876 She makes it different.

01:04 - 11.881 I also want to thank, Representative Schlossberg and Representative Joni

01:04 - 15.451 Seppala Freitas I see in my.

01:04 - 19.822 So the first time I ever said her name in caucus, I completely botched it.

01:04 - 21.557 How did you say I,

01:04 - 24.961 I probably like really white made it, like, as white as possible.

01:04 - 27.730 They say like frights or something. Probably. But.

01:04 - 29.866 But then immediately after, I was like, I messed that up, right? Yes.

01:04 - 30.766 My Schlossberg. It's great.

01:04 - 32.201 This is it. Okay, I'm going to get it now.

01:04 - 34.070 And we've been good ever since. Yeah.

01:04 - 35.705 Everything about us, folks, when we.

01:04 - 39.408 When we take the time out to pronounce people's name correctly,

01:04 - 43.846 we're actually showing them a sign of respect and that they do matter.

01:04 - 47.450 So, that's. Yes.

01:04 - 50.453 Can I get a round of applause for our folks here?

01:04 - 51.520 wait a minute, I see,

01:04 - 54.123 I see a hand.

01:04 - 55.224 Is that a hand?

01:04 - 58.227 Yes, it is a hand.

01:04 - 02.098 To say that,

01:05 - 08.437 I think you're getting a mic, if I'm not mistaken.

01:05 - 10.773 Yeah, I can actually hear you just fine without the microphone.

01:05 - 12.541 So that speaks volumes about your volume. So.

01:05 - 14.176 Well done.

01:05 - 15.444 So my name is Brenda.

01:05 - 20.850 I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I thought about, if I had the opportunity

01:05 - 25.121 when I was working for the family centers in Pittsburgh, to help out.

01:05 - 26.589 Her name is Elaine Harris.

01:05 - 29.258 She always promote the importance of voting.

01:05 - 32.728 So working with, a diverse population of people,

01:05 - 36.032 I have found this video made by Yellow Pain.

01:05 - 38.701 My vote don't count.

01:05 - 42.571 And that was such a great impact when I started showing that video

01:05 - 45.875 and you said how to get people to vote,

01:05 - 48.878 on the local level instead of just a presidential.

01:05 - 53.983 A lot of people I found out forgot or don't know how important

01:05 - 57.787 the local voting on a local level is and that video help.

01:05 - 01.557 So if we can get that video to be shown more around

01:06 - 04.660 the time of voting, just keep educating people on that.

01:06 - 07.363 The importance of the local level.

01:06 - 08.130 Okay.

01:06 - 10.466 I just wanted to share that as well.

01:06 - 12.301 And I want to say thank you guys.

01:06 - 13.469 I got here a little late.

01:06 - 15.404 I apologize for that.

01:06 - 18.374 But as far as the local level

01:06 - 22.478 and as far as like community, I think it's very important that

01:06 - 25.781 Covid really exposed a lot.

01:06 - 26.749 Okay.

01:06 - 32.021 And my observation of Covid, it was to bring us closer together

01:06 - 37.159 as community in our diversity, even with the politicians

01:06 - 41.030 at this time, I believe it was for the politicians

01:06 - 44.767 to come together and put down the Democrat because, you know,

01:06 - 48.070 each group has something important to give,

01:06 - 52.608 and if they bring that together to serve the people,

01:06 - 56.078 I think, I believe that we can do more and call

01:06 - 01.917 and and institute another form of community as one.

01:07 - 06.322 So bringing our gifts and talents together

01:07 - 10.326 because the because Covid was a global and it affected everybody.

01:07 - 12.962 Nobody was exempt.

01:07 - 16.632 So I believe if the politicians can come together,

01:07 - 20.069 you know, part,

01:07 - 23.406 Democrats got something together, get something together.

01:07 - 26.142 Let's just come together and serve the people

01:07 - 28.744 out to the people.

01:07 - 30.046 Right. Amen.

01:07 - 32.915 And then if they don't, then we stop everything

01:07 - 35.518 until they figure it out.

01:07 - 38.054 Let go and vote

01:07 - 41.791 in the primaries this Tuesday in November.

01:07 - 43.893 And then we get to do it all over again. Right?

01:07 - 45.728 thank you to our panelist.

01:07 - 47.563 thank you to our guests.

01:07 - 51.133 And please, big round of applause to the Latino

01:07 - 55.037 Health Summit.

01:08 - 02.778 Thank you.

01:08 - 03.579 All right.

01:08 - 06.916 Thank you to our panelists and moderators

01:08 - 09.919 for engaging in this conversation and helping us.

01:08 - 14.824 And today, on a high note, I know, folks, we're a little shy with the questions,

01:08 - 18.027 but if you do have questions or comments after the session,

01:08 - 20.563 you can always go to our Hoover app.

01:08 - 23.566 Start a conversation, and I am sure that our speakers

01:08 - 27.870 will be more than happy to follow up on this topic with you.

01:08 - 32.174 And before we head out today, I just want to say that I want to express

01:08 - 33.776 my most sincere

01:08 - 37.480 gratitude to each and every one of you for gracing us with your presence today.

01:08 - 41.617 He has been amazing having you at this fourth Annual Latino Health Summit.

01:08 - 44.820 Thank you also to our sponsors, our volunteers,

01:08 - 49.358 our partners, team members, for because your support and commitment

01:08 - 53.629 has been instrumental in making today's event possible.

01:08 - 57.600 So let's stay well, let's stay connected, and let's carry forward

01:08 - 00.669 all this positivity and energy from today.

01:09 - 04.440 You are more than welcome to join us tomorrow, as well as we are going

01:09 - 08.544 to celebrate our Community Day and the Adelanto Health and Wellness Expo.

01:09 - 09.812 Thank you so much.

01:09 - 12.481 Have a good night. And until next time.

01:09 - 20.523 Am. Here tomorrow.

01:09 - 29.765 London.

01:09 - 32.801 Coming to see

01:09 - 33.302 Serena.

01:09 - 36.305 Swallow your.

01:09 - 41.277 That get same.