Jorge Rojas on the American dream, Latino voters
Just yesterday, ten undocumented No Papers No Fear Riders risked everything
by participating in civil disobedience at the Democratic
National Convention in order to expose the injustice of police/ICE
collaboration. After their arrest, Jill and Cheri urged people across
the country to tell ICE that these people deserve relief, not deportation.Today we share the story of Jorge Rojas, a Chilean-American student and Green Party supporter, as our first feature in a new series highlighting voices from our community. His story couldn’t be more timely.
My name is Jorge Rojas. I am currently earning my Ph.D. in economics at the University of Washington, but originally I am from Chile. I came to the United States imagining it was the land of possibility, but the reality I found was quite different. The American Dream is often unobtainable, and for many, has mutated into a nightmare. This is particularly true for misinformed Latinos seeking a land of endless opportunity and who instead find discrimination. This discrimination is often concealed by the corporate media and ignored by the political machine.
The current American two-party system only remembers these communities during election times - the rest of the year they rant about deporting ‘illegal’ workers. Yet, many of these ‘illegal’ workers pay more taxes than America’s wealthy. These workers contribute their skills, labor, taxes, and above all their cultures to American society.
The Green Party, and its 2012 presidential candidate, Jill Stein, has a history of standing for neglected and disadvantaged Americans, not just during election time, but whenever a helping hand is needed. Unlike other corporate-sponsored parties, Jill Stein bravely stands for social justice and prosperity for all.
The current two-party system refuses to enact change, yet change has never been more necessary. It is time to take action and build a better, fairer America. The philosopher John Dewey once said, “The ultimate aim of production is not production of goods but the production of free human beings associated with one another on terms of equality.” Jill Stein’s campaign represents this necessary freedom and equality.
----------This year, with a potential of 21 million Latino voters, both Mitt Romney and President Obama are focusing large amounts of energy attracting their attention and approval - especially so during their national conventions which feature record numbers of Latino speakers and events. Yet, Republicans are known for their staunch deportation and anti-immigration policies; and, President Obama’s time in office has been marked by a record number of deportations (about 1.1 million people) and continuing joblessness for 10.3% of the Latin-American population.
The Green Party, on the other hand, has always stood for every community. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and her running mate, Cheri Honkala, have historically stood with and for diverse populations regardless of immediate political agendas. (In fact, Jill and Cheri were deeply involved before either of them even were involved in elections). We’re grateful for Jorge’s support and if elected, Latino interests will always be on the agenda!
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