Laura Rodriguez-Carbone, elected Central Committee Member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, Executive Committee Member and member of the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, has introduced to Shontel Brown, Party Chair and Ryan Puente, Executive Director a proposed charter for the formation of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Hispanic Caucus.
The Mission: The Cuyahoga County Democratic Hispanic Caucus represents, advocates, and organizes for the social, educational, and political interests of the Hispanic community in Cuyahoga County.
Our Vision: We envision a world in which Hispanic communities have an equal voice in public policy development and equal representation among elected officials.
What We Do: The Cuyahoga County Democratic Hispanic Caucus advances the political voice of the Hispanic community by convening Hispanic community leaders, informing policy, educating the public, and engaging Hispanic voters to increase voter turnout.
“Hispanics have historically been underrepresented in conversations surrounding policy development in the U.S.,” says Rodriguez-Carbone. “Policies identified as crucial to Hispanic communities include immigration, but extend far further to include labor policy, health care policy, economic policy, and social policy. It is important that we organize and set policy priorities, ensuring we are at the table and informing the policies that affect our community.
Low voter turnout among Hispanics in Cuyahoga County was another motivation for Laura to take on developing the charter. “Low voter turn-out among Hispanics has long been an issue. Unfortunately, this issue has long been oversimplified as an indicator of disinterest among the eligible voting Hispanics, and I don’t believe that to be accurate. It is important to understand how community networks and systems are established and how information is received and shared. Self-sufficiency and strong, family-oriented community networks are hallmarks of our community; we lift ourselves up. Policy development and voting go hand in hand. Our greatest advocacy as Hispanics in the United States is our vote. And there is much we can do to bring the community into the greater conversation of our future as Hispanics.”
A link to the charter can be found https://tinyurl.com/ybdlut7z.