Event Highlights: Latinx Perspectives on the US Elections
This roundtable discussion with Andy X. Vargas, MA State Representative and Pardee School alumnus, took place on Friday, January 29, 2021. Joining the discussion, which was hosted by BU’s Center for Latin American Studies and moderated by CLAS director Adela Pineda, were BU professors Cristian de la Rosa, Clinical Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology and Practice, and Susan Eckstein, Professor of International Relations and Sociology, and BU students Damariz Itzel Posadas Aparicio, Master of Theological Studies candidate, and Miguel Angel Fernandez Plaza, PhD candidate in Political Science. The speakers reflected on the impact of Latinx voters in the 2020 US elections, the complexity of the Latinx community and Latinx identity, as well as the challenges facing Latinx residents in the US, in particular with regard to immigration policies.
Andy X. Vargas began his remarks by noting that one of the main lessons coming out of the 2020 election cycle is that “the Latinx community is not a monolith.” Mr. Vargas highlighted the complexity of Latinx electoral map, with 78% of Latinx voters opting for Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, while iin areas of Florida and Texas, a majority of Latinx voters supported President Trump.
Mr. Vargas and Prof. De la Rosa agreed on the importance of education and also on the role of local and religious leaders in the battle against fake information. Damariz Posadas stressed the relevance of Latinx youth in electoral processes (“We are often the only contact of the family with the rest of the world”) and explained the role of young Latinx as mediators and interpreters. Meanwhile, Prof. Eckstein highlighted the foreseeable difficulties that President Biden’s immigration reform will face. Finally, Mr. Vargas emphasized the need to increase the number of Latinx candidates and the relevance of grassroots work within Latinx communities, which are growing.