The vibrant streets of Clark-Fulton came alive last Sunday, August 4, as the Young Latino Network (YLN) proudly marched in the Cleveland Puerto Rican Parade. With our banner “Unidos Somos Más” (United We Are More) leading the way, our members carried signs urging the community to “Register to vote” and to “Vote on November 7”.
One of the parade’s highlights was the YLN float, an artistic tribute inspired by the famous painting “Despierta Boricua”, by Andrés Jiménez Hernández. The float depicted a jibaro, a traditional Puerto Rican farmer, peacefully resting on a hammock adorned with the Puerto Rican flag. This powerful imagery was a call to action for Puerto Ricans to wake up and exercise their right to vote.
Our participation in the parade was not just a celebration of Puerto Rican culture but also a powerful reminder of the importance of civic engagement. By encouraging voter registration and participation, we aim to amplify the voices of the Latine community and ensure they are heard in the upcoming elections.
As we walked, we handed out Power 4 Puerto Rico flyers containing information about their “Reclaiming Our Land” campaign. The issues presented were:
1) Food Sovereignty: a system of mechanisms and policies focused on healthy, sustainable, culturally appropriate, and people-powered methods of food production and distribution. Food sovereignty allows people to shift from dependence on food from overseas corporations to local production and distribution.
2) Close Act 22 Loophole: Puerto Ricans are losing their homes and communities because mega-rich outsiders receiving massive tax breaks are pricing out and displacing struggling families. Meanwhile, the federal and state governments are losing income from tax revenue, which reduces funding for emergency services, schools, roads, and hospitals in stateside communities.
3) End La Junta: In 2016, Congress created a law known as PROMESA (“promise”) that imposed a fiscal control board on Puerto Rico. This board, referred to as “La Junta,” has alarmingly focused on privatizing and dismantling public institutions and services, which has caused living expenses and utility costs to soar in Puerto Rico. Essential services like electricity, water, health care, and education have become increasingly unreliable or inaccessible. This is the reason why we advocate for the termination of La Junta.
4) Puerto Rico Status Act: Puerto Rico has been a U.S. colony since it invaded the Island in 1898. After imposing an external board to “manage” Puerto Rico, Congress removed the minimal autonomy the country had on its government.
Canvassing and Voter Registration
During the Puerto Rican Cultural Festival, our dedicated team of canvassers was active for both days. They engaged with festival-goers, providing essential civic education materials and assisting with voter registration. Our team made sure everyone had the necessary information to register or update their voter registration, even facilitating the process on-site using their phones.
We actively encouraged attendees to fill out pledge cards and commit to voting in the upcoming election. Over two days, we engaged with more than 500 people and successfully collected 104 pledge cards. We will mail them back to the participants as a reminder to cast their votes.
YLN’s presence at the Puerto Rican Parade and Cultural Festival underscored our commitment to fostering unity and advocacy within our comunidad. As the November 7 election approaches, we want everyone to join the movement and register to vote today!
