ATLANTA — It was a busy and educational Monday morning at the Georgia State Capitol, where about 200 people gathered for the first ever Latino Day on the grounds.
The more than four-hour event was co-hosted by LCF Georgia and GALEO, two nonprofits serving the Latino population, and working to increase civic engagement.
GALEO's Deputy Director, Alejandro Chavez, explained the importance of this day.
"Latinos, we’re always talking about civic engagement and only around elections. The truth is civic engagement happens outside of elections," he said. "What’s most important is not just today – it’s what we do with today. It’s the conversations we have, the follow ups, the meetings, we can’t just depend on one day a year, we can’t just depend on election month – we have to do it every day."
About 16 organizations came together as community partners, helping to spread the word and contribute to the event.
The day began with a press conference at Liberty Plaza. There, multiple community leaders, including Latino Community Fund Executive Director Gigi Pedraza, were able to speak about the importance of celebrating Latino voices in the midst of the group's growing political power.
"Latinos in Georgia are the fastest growing ethnicity in the state. We have overgrown compared to the national average in the state. The communities are contributing in the top industries: economically, socially... we are really a critical part of Georgia," Pedraza stated.
After the press conference, those in attendance were able to cross the street into the Capitol. There, they were part of a community education session, learning about voting rights, how a bill becomes law, the legislative process, advocacy opportunities, and other important topics.
From there, they had the chance to write a message listing their priorities and hand deliver the note to one of their representatives.
"They are Latino legislators, and some of them are not," Chavez explained. "But they are people who represent Latino areas. That is also key. If we’re just here to speak to Latino legislators, it’s going to be a short day. We want to work on that going forward. But we represent and live in a lot of communities: Black, white, AAPI, and we have just as much responsibility to engage them as we do with the representatives that are Latino."
Those in attendance also had the opportunity to meet and network with multiple legislators and leaders, while having lunch.
"I think it's undeniable the impact that we have and we can certainly tip elections one way or the other. So, we deserve the investment from all parties," Pedraza added.
Deborah Gonzalez was in attendance, too. She is the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney and also, notably, the first Latina to be elected D.A. in Georgia.
"It's like a family reunion. We're coming together. We're seeing people that we've worked with for years on this one place, on this one day. It's just an exciting time, you know? And it's one of those moments in history that you have to be here," she said while speaking outside of the Capitol.
Chavez, who is also the grandson of activist Cesar Chavez, hopes this event turns into an annual one, where civic engagement grows and people become more educated before hitting the ballot boxes.
"I was fortunate," he said. "My grandfather used to say that we’ll never have a perfect political system but we can have perfect participation. Today is a mark of that more perfect participation."
The list of community partners includes:
- Ser Familia
- Coalition of Latino Líderes (CLILA)
- We Love Buford Highway
- Latin American Association (LAA)
- Georgia Hispanic Construction Association (GHCA)
- Latino LinQ
- Los Niños Primero
- U-Lead Athens
- Unidos Latino Association
- Nest Club
- Partnership for Southern Equity
- Vecinos de Buford Highway
- Latin American Chamber of Commerce (LACC Georgia)