The Latino/x community makes up 40% of California’s population and 54% of the state’s school-aged children. It is currently the state’s largest voting bloc now and for decades to come. On Episode 7 of the PolicyWise podcast, Latino Community Foundation CEO Jacqueline Martinez Garcel joins Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe to discuss the impacts Latino/x youth can make on California policy.
“This movement of social justice, of a democracy that is more representative and just, starts with giving people an opportunity to act,” said Martinez Garcel. She applauded the youth movement for working to register large numbers of new voters. She also hailed the passage of Measure QQ in the City of Oakland, which gave 16-year-olds the right to vote for School Board Director. “Why not engage them in the decisions that are going to impact their lives directly?”
LCF is a non-partisan organization that invests in Latino-led nonprofit organizations, works to increase the civic and political participation of Latinos and is building a philanthropic movement through giving circles.
“In every generation, young people are the ones who step up courageously who remain hopeful despite all the negativity that’s happening because they see a way out,” Martinez Garcel added. “But there’s a coalescing of these movements right now that’s really powerful and makes a real difference to where we’re headed.”
The PolicyWise podcast is a partnership between Youth Leadership Institute and CA FWD and can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker Audio, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts and Overcast.
