SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Actors and activists Zoe Saldana, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, and Gina Rodriguez were among more than 200 Latinx entertainers, artists, and rights advocates who published a letter of solidarity addressed to the Latin American community in the U.S. on Friday. (Photo: Gaston De Cardenas/AFP/Getty Images)
In Face of Violence, Racist Rhetoric, and Mass ICE Raids, Latinx Community Leaders Publish Letter Declaring, 'We Will Not Be Silenced'
"We won't stop organizing for ourselves, our children, and for the soul of this nation."
Aug 16, 2019
Banding together after a number of attacks on immigrants and Latinx people in the U.S., more than 200 Latinx entertainers, artists, and rights advocates published a letter in several major newspapers on Friday, which pledges solidarity with people of Latin American descent across the United States.
The letter affirmed that Latinx public figures "will demand dignity and justice" in the face of repeated attacks by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party and called on all Americans to stand with Latinx communities and defend human rights.
"May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
--Open letter to U.S. Latinx community
"If you are feeling terried, heartbroken, and defeated by the barrage of attacks on our community, you are not alone," the letter reads. "We won't stop organizing for ourselves, our children, and for the soul of this nation. We call on [our allies] to speak out loudly against hate, to contribute your resources to organizations that support our community, and to hold our leaders accountable."
The document was printed in the New York Times as well as several Spanish-language newspapers, including El Nuevo Herald, La Opinion, and El Diario. Actors Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, and Diane Guerrero were among the organizers of the effort, gathering signatures from labor rights activist Dolores Huerta, United We Dream co-founder Cristina Jimenez, and entertainers Edward James Olmos and Lin-Manuel Miranda, both outspoken social justice advocates.
Ferrera appeared on MSNBC on Friday to discuss the letter, saying she and her fellow organizers were driven to fight back against the daily barrage of Trump's attacks on marginalized communities.
"It is so easy to be overwhelmed with the bad news, to be so heartbroken, so devastated, and even numbed to what is happening to human beings in our country at this moment, that it paralyzes us," Ferrera said. "And we can't be paralyzed. We have to fight through that, and we have to continue to show up because it matters when we show up."
The letter was printed two weeks after a gunman drove nine hours from Dallas to El Paso, Texas to target the largely-Latinx city in the deadliest attack on Latin American people in the U.S. in recent history.
The gunman posted a racist and anti-immigration statement online shortly before he opened fire at a Walmart, killing 22 shoppers, most of whom were Latinx. In it, echoing language used by Trump, he said the attack was a response to the "Hispanic invasion" of Texas. Mexico's government declared the shooting a terrorist attack aimed at Mexican-Americans and Mexican nationals.
The letter was also a response to last week's ICE raids in Mississippi, in which the Trump administration rounded up nearly 700 undocumented immigrants, leaving many children without their parents. Some of the families affected still have not been reunited.
"We have been targeted with mass shootings and mass ICE raids meant to terrify us, squash our hope, and break our spirits," the letter reads. "But, we will not be broken. We will not be silenced. We will continue to denounce any hateful and inhumane treatment of our community."
The authors denounced the Trump administration's forcible separation of thousands of Latinx families through deportation and detention, as well as his anti-immigration rhetoric.
"The indignities and cruelty we have endured will never change the truth that the contributions we make to this country are invaluable. Our humanity must be respected," they wrote. "May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
The signers and their supporters took to social media to call on all Americans to "read the letter, share the love, and declare yourself an ally" who will "fight for the humanity of all people."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Banding together after a number of attacks on immigrants and Latinx people in the U.S., more than 200 Latinx entertainers, artists, and rights advocates published a letter in several major newspapers on Friday, which pledges solidarity with people of Latin American descent across the United States.
The letter affirmed that Latinx public figures "will demand dignity and justice" in the face of repeated attacks by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party and called on all Americans to stand with Latinx communities and defend human rights.
"May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
--Open letter to U.S. Latinx community
"If you are feeling terried, heartbroken, and defeated by the barrage of attacks on our community, you are not alone," the letter reads. "We won't stop organizing for ourselves, our children, and for the soul of this nation. We call on [our allies] to speak out loudly against hate, to contribute your resources to organizations that support our community, and to hold our leaders accountable."
The document was printed in the New York Times as well as several Spanish-language newspapers, including El Nuevo Herald, La Opinion, and El Diario. Actors Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, and Diane Guerrero were among the organizers of the effort, gathering signatures from labor rights activist Dolores Huerta, United We Dream co-founder Cristina Jimenez, and entertainers Edward James Olmos and Lin-Manuel Miranda, both outspoken social justice advocates.
Ferrera appeared on MSNBC on Friday to discuss the letter, saying she and her fellow organizers were driven to fight back against the daily barrage of Trump's attacks on marginalized communities.
"It is so easy to be overwhelmed with the bad news, to be so heartbroken, so devastated, and even numbed to what is happening to human beings in our country at this moment, that it paralyzes us," Ferrera said. "And we can't be paralyzed. We have to fight through that, and we have to continue to show up because it matters when we show up."
The letter was printed two weeks after a gunman drove nine hours from Dallas to El Paso, Texas to target the largely-Latinx city in the deadliest attack on Latin American people in the U.S. in recent history.
The gunman posted a racist and anti-immigration statement online shortly before he opened fire at a Walmart, killing 22 shoppers, most of whom were Latinx. In it, echoing language used by Trump, he said the attack was a response to the "Hispanic invasion" of Texas. Mexico's government declared the shooting a terrorist attack aimed at Mexican-Americans and Mexican nationals.
The letter was also a response to last week's ICE raids in Mississippi, in which the Trump administration rounded up nearly 700 undocumented immigrants, leaving many children without their parents. Some of the families affected still have not been reunited.
"We have been targeted with mass shootings and mass ICE raids meant to terrify us, squash our hope, and break our spirits," the letter reads. "But, we will not be broken. We will not be silenced. We will continue to denounce any hateful and inhumane treatment of our community."
The authors denounced the Trump administration's forcible separation of thousands of Latinx families through deportation and detention, as well as his anti-immigration rhetoric.
"The indignities and cruelty we have endured will never change the truth that the contributions we make to this country are invaluable. Our humanity must be respected," they wrote. "May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
The signers and their supporters took to social media to call on all Americans to "read the letter, share the love, and declare yourself an ally" who will "fight for the humanity of all people."
Banding together after a number of attacks on immigrants and Latinx people in the U.S., more than 200 Latinx entertainers, artists, and rights advocates published a letter in several major newspapers on Friday, which pledges solidarity with people of Latin American descent across the United States.
The letter affirmed that Latinx public figures "will demand dignity and justice" in the face of repeated attacks by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party and called on all Americans to stand with Latinx communities and defend human rights.
"May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
--Open letter to U.S. Latinx community
"If you are feeling terried, heartbroken, and defeated by the barrage of attacks on our community, you are not alone," the letter reads. "We won't stop organizing for ourselves, our children, and for the soul of this nation. We call on [our allies] to speak out loudly against hate, to contribute your resources to organizations that support our community, and to hold our leaders accountable."
The document was printed in the New York Times as well as several Spanish-language newspapers, including El Nuevo Herald, La Opinion, and El Diario. Actors Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, and Diane Guerrero were among the organizers of the effort, gathering signatures from labor rights activist Dolores Huerta, United We Dream co-founder Cristina Jimenez, and entertainers Edward James Olmos and Lin-Manuel Miranda, both outspoken social justice advocates.
Ferrera appeared on MSNBC on Friday to discuss the letter, saying she and her fellow organizers were driven to fight back against the daily barrage of Trump's attacks on marginalized communities.
"It is so easy to be overwhelmed with the bad news, to be so heartbroken, so devastated, and even numbed to what is happening to human beings in our country at this moment, that it paralyzes us," Ferrera said. "And we can't be paralyzed. We have to fight through that, and we have to continue to show up because it matters when we show up."
The letter was printed two weeks after a gunman drove nine hours from Dallas to El Paso, Texas to target the largely-Latinx city in the deadliest attack on Latin American people in the U.S. in recent history.
The gunman posted a racist and anti-immigration statement online shortly before he opened fire at a Walmart, killing 22 shoppers, most of whom were Latinx. In it, echoing language used by Trump, he said the attack was a response to the "Hispanic invasion" of Texas. Mexico's government declared the shooting a terrorist attack aimed at Mexican-Americans and Mexican nationals.
The letter was also a response to last week's ICE raids in Mississippi, in which the Trump administration rounded up nearly 700 undocumented immigrants, leaving many children without their parents. Some of the families affected still have not been reunited.
"We have been targeted with mass shootings and mass ICE raids meant to terrify us, squash our hope, and break our spirits," the letter reads. "But, we will not be broken. We will not be silenced. We will continue to denounce any hateful and inhumane treatment of our community."
The authors denounced the Trump administration's forcible separation of thousands of Latinx families through deportation and detention, as well as his anti-immigration rhetoric.
"The indignities and cruelty we have endured will never change the truth that the contributions we make to this country are invaluable. Our humanity must be respected," they wrote. "May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
The signers and their supporters took to social media to call on all Americans to "read the letter, share the love, and declare yourself an ally" who will "fight for the humanity of all people."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.