For Immediate ReleaseTuesday, October 27, 2020
Contacts: Betsy López-Wagner, López-Wagner Strategies, blopezwagner@gmail.com (English, Español)Alfredo Ramirez, ALRAS Digital, alfredo@alrasdigital.com (English, Español)
Michigan-based Revolutionaries Demanding Justice, I am Deeply Rooted, Inc., Justice for Black Lives Team Up with Corazón Latino to Get Out the Vote
Local Grand Rapids and Muskegon-based leaders and organizations team up with Corazón Latino to get out the vote in Latino/a/x and Black communities in Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan – Today, Corazón Latino, a Latino-led conservation and advocacy group working nationally and in Michigan, announced it is teaming up with a multi-racial collective of Grand Rapids and Muskegon-area women leaders and racial justice groups including I am Deeply Rooted, Inc., Revolutionaries Demanding Justice, and Justice for Black Lives to get out the vote in the Greater Grand Rapids region.
Led by a multi-racial collective of women, Corazón Latino organizers are mobilizing Latino/a/x and Black communities with a Get Out the Vote: HalloWalk to the Polls! celebration to be held Friday, October 30 in Lincoln Park, 1120 Bridge St NW in Grand Rapids. The collective will have social-distance friendly public art stations. There, attendees will be invited to leave messages on portable murals reading “I Vote for” and “Yo Voto por,” to share the issues and motivations that will drive them to use their voices to vote in 2020. The murals, a snapshot of political power, will be donated to an area organization or museum at a later date. Additionally, to honor their roots in a symbol of rejuvenation, conservation and life, attendees can take home a tree seedling from a tree giveaway, funded by Corazón Latino, that will take place on site and will be encouraged to post their photos of the planting with the hashtag #IAmDeeplyRooted, a nod to the roots that tie us together and the need to heal the land and our democracy.With seven early voting days to go before Nov. 3, Election Day, organizers are looking to turn out Black and Brown voters in higher numbers than those who voted in 2016. There’s more at stake in this election than even in 2016–challenges of social injustice, higher rates of Covid-19 in frontline communities, growing demands for environmental justice and the need to stomp out voter intimidation. Still, the organizers emphasize this is an opportunity and invitation to celebrate the power of the voices of their communities and their votes.
“We're leading with love alongside local community organizations and a multi-racial collective of women to inspire and encourage U.S. Latino and Black voters to exercise their right to vote for the people who will represent them on the most critical issues of our day at the Federal, State and local levels,” said Felipe Benitez, Executive Director of Corazón Latino, a national non-profit organization that seeks to generate social, environmental, and conservation initiatives that foster natural resource stewardship.
"We must vote with our families and our Madre Tierra – Mother Earth – in mind."“Your vote matters and your voice matters,” said Chelsae Dudley, Marketing Director of Justice for Black Lives.
“We have to continue to vote – not only for the next president, but for our Congress, Senate, judges, and all positions up and down the ballot down to our local elected officials. That’s the only way we are going to make change for our generation and future generations to come.”“Although we can’t go back and start over, we can start from now and create a new ending. It starts with our youth, women and unity in our community,” said Kya Taylor, Founder of I am Deeply Rooted.
“There is a clear and present danger to our democracy and we, our communities here in Michigan and around the country, have the power to stop it at the polls,” said Michigan resident Betsy López-Wagner, a small business owner and social justice advocate.
“Juntos – together – sí, se puede (yes, we can) and this is us doing what we can to get out the vote, armed with love and hope.”“Our fights are best fought in unity through rebuilding our communities. Instead of separation, we need to connect the intersections and raise the voices of the vulnerable. Only then can we do the work that will truly heal us,” said Bri Mac, President of Revolutionaries Demanding Justice.
According to Pew Research Center, “The number of Black Americans eligible to vote for president has reached a record 30 million in 2020, with more than one-third living in nine of the nation’s most competitive states – Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – a higher share than the 29 percent of all U.S. eligible voters who live in these states. Nationwide, Black eligible voters now make up 12.5 percent of the U.S. electorate, up from 11.5 percent in 2000.”
Latinos, the largest global majority group in the city, represent 16 percent of the Grand Rapids population, according to the latest U.S. Census. This year nearly 32 million eligible Latino voters nationwide – 13 percent of eligible voters in the United States – could make a significant impact on the outcome of the election. Michigan is a vital state for the presidential race, with key races up and down the ballot.
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Justice for Black Lives (JFBL) is a Grand Rapids, MI based group that focuses on making legislative changes and inspiring the community through education and support.
Corazón Latino is a national non-profit organization that seeks to generate social, environmental, and conservation initiatives that foster natural resource stewardship. Corazón Latino mobilizes the passion, love, unity, solidarity, and resources of individuals, communities, organizations, and government entities to advance the common good. Visit us at http://www.corazonlatino.us.