Executive Director of Somos Votantes Melissa Morales joins us to share her view on the current debate over Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month and why she thinks Latinos working together is more important than choosing any one name. 

She also shares how she came to understand that the challenges in her childhood were the result of bad policy and not “bad luck,” the role Latinos played in Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory, and the secret power of Latina women in helping to drive voter turnout in each election cycle, including the upcoming ones in 2022.

REFERENCES:

Melissa Morales – @Melissa_In_DC - Vice President of Civix Strategy Group, Executive Director, Somos Votantes & Founder, Somos Pac https://twitter.com/Melissa_In_DC https://civixstrategygroup.com https://somosvotantes.org https://somospac.org

Hispanic Heritage Month Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hispanic_Heritage_Month

Articles

History Channel // Yara Simón – Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms https://history.com/news/hispanic-latino-latinx-chicano-background

Democracy Journal // Stephanie Valencia – Latina Voters: Why Excitement Matters https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/57/latina-voters-why-excitement-matters

Pew Research // Ruth Igielnik and Abby Budiman – The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of the U.S. Electorate https://pewresearch.org/2020/09/23/the-changing-racial-and-ethnic-composition-of-the-u-s-electorate