In an auditorium at the Ronald Reagan Convention Center, a packed audience welcomed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris today, who thanked Latino leaders for their support and congratulated them on Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on September 15. “To all the incredible leaders who are here, it is an honor to be with you again,” she began at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Annual Conference, which takes place on September 17 and 18.
During her 20-minute speech, the vice president reviewed the main issues she is presenting in her campaign and which most affect the Latino community: the need to obtain affordable housing, immigration reform, abortion and the health system.
She began with a brief review of her biography, highlighting her mother’s immigrant origins, something she has already used in her campaign to show her empathy with the Latino community. Harris stressed that her mother was “a five-foot-tall woman, with dark skin and an accent,” who taught her and her sister “the importance of working hard, the power of the community, and to never protest injustices,” but to do something to confront them.
Harris referred to her career as a prosecutor, saying that “being here today is not just something I decided to do, but really this is a lifelong career that has been about fighting for people, and for years, I have been proud to fight alongside the members and leaders of this caucus,” she said, adding that “our work together has always been guided by shared values and a shared vision.”
The vice president referred to the housing crisis, whose high prices affect the Latino community, and promised that she would approve a $25,000 grant to help with the purchase. She also referred to another of the community’s hot topics: the cost of medications, and recalled that Latinos are 70% more likely to suffer from diabetes, so she reiterated her commitment to reducing the cost of insulin. Harris gave credit to the Latino leaders present for “our joint work,” which has led to “finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices with big pharmaceutical companies.” She also criticized the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, for wanting to cut the Medicare health care program and said that “what is not fair is that our seniors, for too long, have had to cut their pills in half” and have to decide between buying medicine or filling their refrigerator with food.
Knowing what’s happening outside means understanding what’s going to happen inside, so don’t miss anything.
KEEP READING
Massive detention camps for migrants?
Harris received a standing ovation from the audience when she touched on the topic of immigration, criticizing Trump’s proposed mass deportation program. “How is he going to do it? With massive persecutions? With massive detention camps? What are we talking about?” she asked. “We can do both: create a path to citizenship and ensure that our border is secure,” she said.
And then came the issue of abortion, one of the most decisive issues for Latinos in deciding their vote. Harris referred to the case of the woman from Georgia who died because she was not treated in time and recalled that “40% of Latinas live in a state where abortion is prohibited.”
A large majority of Latinas support free abortion and they are precisely the ones who are leading the greatest mobilization to vote after Harris’ nomination. The organization dedicated to promoting voting among Hispanics, Voto Latino, announced yesterday that Harris’ nomination as a candidate instead of Joe Biden has boosted the registration of Latino voters by 200%, with young people and women being the most active.
The Harris campaign has dedicated several ads in Spanish, English and spanglishto reach out to the Hispanic community. The candidate has managed to mobilize part of the Latino voters who were apathetic about Biden’s reelection. Historically, this demographic group has registered a higher percentage of abstention than the rest of the citizens. In the 2020 elections, only 54% of Latinos eligible to vote went to the polls, in contrast to 71% of non-Hispanic white citizens who did so.
Latino voters form a critical bloc in swing states like Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania that will decide who will be the new occupant of the White House. With 36.2 million voters, Latinos are the demographic group that has grown the most since 2020 and already account for 14% of all citizens eligible to vote in the country. In four years, four million new Latino voters have been added.
The vice president made her remarks at the CHCI annual leaders’ meeting, which has brought together leaders in politics and society to highlight the contributions of the Latino community to American history, society, art, culture, technology and the economy. The events will culminate with the 47th Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, June 19, to be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC and attended by Joe Biden.
The president will also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a reception at the White House on Wednesday afternoon. Over the course of 30 days, social and cultural events will take place in the capital to honor the Latino community. There will be street festivals, such as one held on Sept. 28 and 29 in the city center that will include food, art, live performances and dancing.