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The ferocity of the current political climate has left many Latinos feeling uncertain, alienated and even angry. More than ever before, social media has brought many of us to a state of propaganda overload. In our search to find clarity and resolve, we reached out. And she reached back.
With complete transparency, Latino Connection is incredibly proud to share how Secretary of State and Democratic Candidate for President of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton will address the issues surrounding education, immigration, healthcare and industry. As explained by Jorge Silva, National Director of Hispanic Media for her campaign, Clinton’s plans focus on expanding opportunities for Pennsylvania’s Latinos to continue to create a solid foundation, for themselves and for their families.
During our correspondence with her team, we learned more about Hillary Clinton than simply her position on the issues. We confirmed she is dear friend of Marc Anthony’s and her favorite song of his is “Vivir Mi Vida.” Perhaps most importantly, we discovered that Hillary Clinton understands the value that the Latino community places on a personal connection. We asked her to speak directly to us, and to you. Therefore, in addition to Silva’s responses, it is a great honor to also share with you Hillary Clinton’s vision for our future—in her own words.
LC: Education is one of the most important issues for Latinos today, yet many schools in America lack the resources and programs necessary to support the growing Latino demographic within Pennsylvania’s public schools. What plans do you have to address this issue to help young Latino children – many of whom begin school with no knowledge of English – receive the appropriate support to help them succeed?
Silva: Every child deserves to receive a world-class education, with good schools and good teachers, no matter what ZIP code they live in—starting with our youngest learners. Hillary believes we need to give parents the support they need to be their child’s first teachers, and make high-quality childcare and universal preschool available to every family. Hillary knows also need to invest in our public schools. So she will launch a national campaign to lift up the profession of teaching. And to help all our students get the very best education, we’ll invest in bilingual education programs to better serve the more than 4 million English Language Learners in America’s public schools today.
Hillary will make sure no one is forced to give up their dream of going to college because they can’t pay for it. Over the last 20 years, the number of Latinas going to college has tripled—that’s something to celebrate! At the same time, Latinos are still less likely than their white peers to graduate, and nearly 70 percent of Latino students who do graduate leave school with debt. We need to provide more help to students who need it. So she’s going to make community college free, make in-state public universities tuition-free for working families, and debt-free for all. And she’ll help liberate the millions of people who are dealing with student debt right now. And she’ll support Hispanic Serving Institutions and provide scholarships and childcare support for student parents. She will also do more to help people learn a skill or practice a trade, and make a good living doing it—because college is crucial, but a four-year degree shouldn’t be the only path to a good job with dignity.
LC: Pennsylvania is home to a growing Latino population, including a strong migrant population in its southern counties. Beyond resources and supports for schools, what other plans do you have to help support adult education and transition programs to help our Spanish-speaking Pennsylvanians take full advantage of the educational and economic opportunities available to them?
Silva: We need to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. Something is very wrong when Latinos are 17 percent of our country’s population, but hold only 2 percent of its wealth. As President, Hillary will make it her mission to bring opportunity to every corner of Pennsylvania, and every corner of our country. Within her first 100 days, she’ll make bold new investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy, and small businesses to create good-paying jobs for all Americans—no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you are.
Hillary will work to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to full and equal citizenship—because this is a family issue, and an economic issue. And she’ll fight to break down all the barriers that hold immigrants back from building a brighter future for themselves and their families. For starters, she’ll create a National Office of Immigrant Affairs to ensure there is a dedicated place in the White House where immigrants and refugees can get the support they need. She’ll also promote naturalization by expanding fee waivers, increasing access to language programs to help people boost their English proficiency, and helping the millions of people who are eligible for citizenship take that last step.
LC: Many view the Latino demographic – specifically those living in Pennsylvania – as the largest underserved population in healthcare. Many Latinos remain unclear on the procedures, regulations, and benefits to which they are entitled under the Universal Healthcare Act. Moving forward, what programs and resources will you put into place to educate the non-English speaking Hispanic population – which possess a $469 billion buying power – to fully understand the ins and outs of Health Care reform/Obamacare?
Silva: Hillary wants every family in this country to have the peace of mind that comes with quality, affordable health care. We’ve taken a big step forward with the Affordable Care Act, which is covering 4.2 million Latinos. But she knows that we have more work to do to bring down the out-of-pocket health care costs too many families are still struggling with, make prescription drugs more affordable, and bring health care to underserved populations, including Latinos. With help from Pennsylvanians, we can take on all these fights and more—and continue our work to help even more people get the health coverage they need.
LC: We know you have been a huge advocate for the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which represents 4.1 million Latino small businesses across the United States. The growing Latino demographic in PA also provides small and mid-size business with a tremendous opportunity – both through an expansive employment pool and an increased market share. How do you plan to connect Pennsylvania’s Latino workforce with job opportunities as well as support all PA small businesses so they can develop and sustain effective programs to connect with potential Latino employees and end consumers?
Silva: Hillary has a special place in her heart for small businesses. Growing up, her father ran a small business printing fabric for draperies. He poured his heart and soul into that business, and he was able to provide a middle-class life for our family.
Hillary wants to do more to support Latino-owned small businesses, which have created so many jobs and strengthened communities across America. As President, she will fight to level the playing field for Latino small business owners by cutting red tape, expanding access to capital, providing tax relief, expanding access to new markets, and investing $25 billion to support innovation in communities that need it the most. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and Hillary will be a president with the backbone to stand up for them.
LC: The current political climate is one that has left many Latinos across Pennsylvania with feelings of uncertainty and fear. Politics aside, if given the opportunity to speak directly to these people, what would you say to restore their faith in the United States as a land that promises equal opportunity, safety, and economic prosperity to all those who choose to call it home?
Silva: Latinos represent one of the fastest-growing groups in America. By 2050, communities of color will represent the majority of our population. So of course Latinos have a key role to play now and in shaping the future of America—because you are America. And whether you’re Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Afro-Latino, from Central our South America, whether your family just arrived or whether you’ve been here since before the United States even existed, Hillary believed that we are brothers and sisters – not strangers or intruders – but our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends, our families. Latinos make our nation stronger, smarter, and more creative. Hillary will always have your back. In this election, let’s reject Donald Trump’s dangerous, divisive vision for America. Let’s build bridges, not walls. And let’s stand together because we’re stronger together.
Clinton: I want us to really believe that America’s best years are ahead of us, but to understand the only way we’re going to make that a reality is by working together and recognizing that we’ve got to do more to make sure everybody is brought along. We have a very stark choice in this election. It really is about the difference between pulling together, working together, making the future better together, and living with fear and anxiety and the kinds of insults, the bigotry, the blustering and bullying that we’re seeing from the other side. This country is really a place that people dream and build together.
Clinton: We’re going to have a coordinated, specific set of plans to create more jobs right here in Pennsylvania, to give more people a chance to fulfill their own dreams, to lift up the incomes of hardworking people, to create what I view as an opportunity society, where if you do your part you can get ahead and stay ahead. That’s the basic bargain of America and we’re going to keep our end of it.