“This is really the first youth-led election!" - Inside the Activists Studio™ with Maria Teresa Kumar, Voto Latino
As founding president and CEO of the nonpartisan, nonprofit group Voto Latino, Maria Teresa Kumar is a in a full-speed sprint to get out the Latinx vote and educate young Latinx voters on how to protect their voting rights. Today, Voto Latino has registered nearly 800,000 voters and enlisted close to 5,000 volunteers. It continues to reach millions of users across social platforms weekly and continues to build its digital tools, such as VoterPal, a smartphone app that helps to develop the electoral power of young Latinos.
We caught up with her “Inside the Activists Studio” where she shared her belief in the promise of America, the importance of this year’s election, and her favorite comfort food!
Was there a particular moment(s) in your childhood/life where you realized you were going to be involved in activism?
Maria Teresa: Yes, at six years old when I started translating for my mother, my aunts, my grandmother, my uncle. I Iearned that I had to advocate for my family simply because I spoke English. Tens of millions of fellow Latinos share that same experience.
People say this is the most important election in the past 20 years and maybe of their lifetime? Do you agree and why?
Maria Teresa: Absolutely, and for a few different reasons. One, there is the cruelty and nihilism of the Trump administration. This is not as much a governing body as it is the manifestation of one man’s narcissism and prejudice. We need to get that out of power as soon as humanly possible. Two, this election will be the first time that the Latinx community will constitute the second-largest voting bloc in the country, with 32 million eligible Latinx voters. And three, this will be the first election in which Millennials and Gen Z outnumbers Baby Boomers, so it is really the first youth-led election. Within the Latinx community, one million Latinx kids have turned 18 since 2016. That’s four million new, eligible voters that heard the president call their loved ones rapists and criminals, but weren’t able to do anything about it. Now they are and they’re chomping at the bit to make their voices heard.
Photo credit: Michael Stars
What advice do you have for people whose friends and family say they aren't going to vote? What can they do to encourage them?
Maria Teresa: Explain to them that the impact of their vote does not start and stop with them. Their one vote ripples out into their family, their community, and beyond. Those collective ripples are what creates change in this country. If the chain breaks because of mass inaction, we no longer have a democracy. We will have government by the few. Voting is not the only tool we have to improve our daily lives, but it is the only one that can never be taken away from us. Not using it is essentially the same as giving up your freedom to the lowest bidder! So, even though it is your vote to use or not, the ramifications of that decision impact every single person you know.
What's the best advice your mother (or father, sibling, aunt/uncle, anyone) ever gave you?
My mother said that you must come into spaces being clear about who you are and being there with purpose.
What is your favorite comfort food?
All food! But I love soups the most or a calentado , which is basically Colombian fried rice: rice, beans and whatever leftovers you have with an egg reheated all together with cilantro, lime and hot sauce added.
About Voto Latino
Voto Latino has registered 250,000 voters, marking the halfway point to our total goal of 500,000 new voter registrations before the election! We are a grassroots political organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Through innovative digital campaigns, culturally relevant programs and authentic voices, we shepherd the Latinx community towards full realization of its political power.
Visit votolatino.org for more information on how you can get involved in helping get out the vote.