By Crystal Munoz, GALEO Intern
October 24, 2014
As the midterm elections are quickly approaching, GALEO has been working tirelessly to help the Latino community, as well as others, become civically engaged. Registering citizens to vote and getting them out to vote has been the main focus in causing a change in our Georgia communities.
Georgia is changing every day and the changes have not gone unnoticed. Mark Z. Barabak from the LA TIMES picked to profile Georgia, as well as other southern states, for an article about the changing politics in the south. The article looks at how the growing Latino communities throughout the south will undoubtedly transform the face of the south. Barabak chose to interview the Executive Director of GALEO, Jerry Gonzalez, on how it is playing a crucial role in creating a “New South”.
During the interview Barabak and Gonzalez talked extensively about the lack of participation among Latinos in politics. Latinos are the largest minority in the United States, yet we have very little representation in the legislature and we are not as politically active as we could be. Gonzalez sees this as a major problem and the remedy is GALEO.
GALEO’s mission is to increase civic engagement by registering Latinos to vote and reminding them to vote; thus, creating a stronger voice for the community. Since its creation, GALEO and its many volunteers have been able to increase participation from 5 percent to 22 percent, register over 7,000 new Americans at naturalization ceremonies, and 839 new voters through different events and canvassing efforts. In addition to civic engagement, GALEO also wants to increase leadership amongst Latino youth. Through leadership opportunities GALEO can change our current reality of lack of engagement by creating leaders and challenging them for public service and greater community leadership.
Along with the interview, Barabak also spent two full days observing just how GALEO and its’ volunteers work within the Latino community to expand civic engagement. On this particular weekend, GALEO had two events; on Saturday a health fair in Gwinnett County and on Sunday voter registration efforts at churches throughout the City of Gainesville. These are just a few events the organization does to reach Latinos and in many ways just the tip of the iceberg. GALEO’s strategy is to reach as many Latinos as they can within a certain location; therefore, Gwinnett and Gainesville are the perfect locations to showcase how the organization works.
The Latino community is very aware of the recent disappointments that have come from the White House in regards to immigration reform and President Obama’s delays on Executive Action. Latinos also know the failure of House Republican Leadership on moving any comprehensive immigration reform forward. Families are being separated and undocumented immigrants continue to live in shadows of society. How long must this continue? Gonzalez believes that through GALEO and the leadership of Latinos in our community, we can create a new reality for all within our community, including all immigrants; as stated in the interview, “No Latino is untouched” when it comes to immigration issues. However, Gonzalez recognizes that laws like H.B. 87 and discriminatory voting practices make it difficult for Latinos, or other minorities for that matter, to want to engage in politics.
This is where you can help. GALEO’s mission has always been to strengthen the Latino voice through civic engagement and the only way to reach out to the community is through volunteering. Help us create change and volunteer today! Contact: samuel@2014old.galeo.org for more information on volunteering opportunities.