To kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month, the College Democrats of Massachusetts and the Boston City Council, along with various latinx leaders in the community, came together in the Iannella Chamber room of Boston City Hall for Real Talk with Latinx Leaders.
The panel of latinx individuals, as suggested by the name, answered questions about their latinx identities and what effect that has had on their work, families, and themselves, while being as down to earth and as genuine as they could. Following that, the event organizers held two workshops that encouraged the people attending the event to openly discuss various aspects and impacts of and on the latinx community.
Michelle Wu, the first woman of color to be the president of the Boston City Council, briefly spoke on the latinx movement and the positive influence it has had on the latinx community in Boston after only being just under two years old. With her praises for the bright future of this movement, the panelists began by introducing themselves, their careers, and what it is exactly that makes them a leader. Each panelist made it very clear why they were considered leaders, with all of them excelling in their fields, which range from make-up artist, to urban planner, to holding positions in public office.
More importantly, the panelists discussed the need for the latinx movement. Similarly to Malcolm X, the latinx movement dawns its name in representation and recognition of their numerous and diverse cultural backgrounds, many that the history books tend to forget or ignore. This movement aims to empower latinx individuals within the Boston community by building bridges that benefit them; whether it be through hands-on workshops or going door to door, knocking for a larger Hispanic voter turnout. The latinx leaders recounted their hardships and their rise to success with hopes that it would inspire other latinx individuals to do the same.
The panelists also made it a point to emphasize college youth taking action. Among them was an undocumented freshman at Northeastern University, Valeria Do Vale, who is active in aiding undocumented immigrants seeking to start and keep an education.
Another of the panelists, Andy Vargas, the youngest and only Hispanic City Councilor in the City of New Haven, had very high hopes for his generation, the millennials, promoting the hopeful message, “I think that we are the generation that is going to get it right.” Most of the latinx leader panelists belonged to this generation, a generation that has been highly criticized for being lazy, exceeding the expectations the older generations have set for them.
Concluding this event with workshops that encouraged the audience members to have an open discussion on their thoughts and feelings about the latinx community only emphasizes this movement’s theme of outreach. At a stunning 30.2 percent continual growth, the Latinx population is one of the fastest growing minorities in the the United States. But even more than outreach, these workshops were a way for real discussions about the latinx community to happen, no matter how uncomfortable the subject matter.
As Andy Vargas put it, “our job is to make other people uncomfortable,” and in a country that seems to only see black and white, uncomfortable conversations have to happen for the latinx community and other minorities to get the representation they deserve.