The 2020 presidential election is still more than a year away, but many of us are already closely following the race. With debates, social media posts and polls, it can be overwhelming to keep up with what’s happening and oftentimes, as Latinxs, our concerns aren’t always addressed. Mijente, a hub for Latinx and Chicanx organizing, aims to help us get more focused this election season. Today, the grassroots organization announced the launch of El Chisme 2020: One-on-One with the Candidates, a series of conversations with the 2020 presidential candidates that are filtered through a Latinx lens.
With our community often absent from the political debate, Mijente decided to do something about it, to give us a voice. President Donald Trump’s time in office has been marked by attacks against Latinxs and other communities of color. As we face the possibility of another four years of a government that has nothing but animosity toward us, Mijente’s series is necessary.
“Our lives are on the line in the 2020 presidential election,” said Marisa Franco, co-founder and director of Mijente Support Committee, in a statement. “We need to protect our families, reverse the damaging policies inflicted on our people, and build a path forward that includes our entire community.”
The conversations will take place throughout the United States this fall, with the first one featuring Bernie Sanders in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 14, 2019. Mijente has partnered with news outlet NowThis, who will live stream the talks.
“NowThis is excited to cover the issues that are driving the 2020 presidential campaign and uniquely impacting the Latinx community via our English and Spanish language platforms,” said NowThis political director Nico Pitney. “We look forward to working with Mijente to bring this presidential conversation series to our large young audience across the country.”
Monday, September 9, 2019 at 3:50 p.m. ET: This piece has been updated to include a quote from NowThis.