If Politicians Want the Support of Latinx Voters, They Need To Face Facts | Opinion

One clear lesson from the recent election cycle, which will certainly carry forward to the next one, is that Republicans and Democrats are chomping at the bit to attract more Latinx and Hispanic voters.

Republicans, for their part, are looking to continue their progress. A greater share of Latinx and Hispanic voters cast ballots for Donald Trump in this one election than for any Republican candidate in history. Meanwhile, after underperforming among these voters, Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to bring them back.

But if either party wants to be consistently successful, they'll need to address a painful reality—both parties have a long, horrid history of demeaning Hispanic and Latin countries. And our elected officials have not done nearly enough to support Hispanic and Latinx communities across the United States.

For these millions of voters, both political parties talk a big game, but fail to meaningfully pursue policies that will uplift them.

Puerto Rico offers a prime example. When comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made his now-infamous proclamation about Puerto Rico being a "floating Island of garbage," Democrats seized on the comment. Far and wide, they claimed that the comment would turn off droves of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanic and Latinx communities.

But they failed to consider the myriad ways that both parties in the United States have dismantled and abused Puerto Rico for decades.

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico sent troops when peaceful civilians dared to advocate for independence. Several civilians were killed. In the 1950s, a team of U.S. researchers exploited Puerto Rican women by testing birth control pills on them—without informing them that the drug was experimental. For years, the U.S. military tested and stored Agent Orange—a dangerous chemical that removes vegetation and causes cancer and other dangerous diseases—across Puerto Rico, for later use in Vietnam.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford approved huge offshore tax breaks to U.S. corporations operating in Puerto Rico. That saved businesses billions of dollars without improving the livelihoods of Puerto Ricans. Decades later, President Bill Clinton phased out the tax breaks, causing the island to fall into economic crisis. And now, PROMESA, a project of the Obama administration that officials vowed would help, is failing dismally.

For the last 127 years since it came under U.S. control, Puerto Rico has had virtually no ability to chart its own future. And the island can't get out of its deep economic hole because its trade policy is dictated by U.S. law. Puerto Ricans are simply beholden to the whims of U.S. policymakers.

Puerto Rico is just one example of how the United States has exploited Latin and Hispanic countries. The United States has meddled in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, and beyond to prop up its own interests.

Domestically, the story is quite similar. Policymakers have consistently maintained and pursued policies that marginalize Latinx and Hispanic people and prevent them from improving their financial picture. A recent report from the Urban Institute found the median wealth for white families was $284,000, compared to just $62,000 for Hispanic families. And the average white family had $1 million more in wealth than the average Hispanic family—the largest-ever difference in the study's history. Due to deep systemic inequities, these communities are far more likely than white communities to struggle to access education, health care, well-paying jobs, transportation, and more.

Yes, Hispanic and Latinx voters gravitated toward President Trump this cycle. But these voters are still desperately looking for leaders who will support them, not just pay them lip service. And coming around once every four years to beg for votes is both insulting and infuriating.

As a faith leader at a seminary focused on social justice and care for the community, I am compelled to speak out on this issue. Our faith calls on us to expose abuse and to push for policies that protect the poor and marginalized. Hispanic and Latinx communities deserve leaders who represent their interests, not just float flouncy rhetoric.

As our nation's politicians chart the future of their parties, they need to face facts. In the long-term, the winning party will be the one that actually makes good on its promises and uplifts Latinx and Hispanic people.

Rev. Samuel Cruz, Ph.D., is an associate professor of religion and society at Union Theological Seminary, a globally recognized seminary and graduate school of theology where faith, spirituality, and scholarship meet to reimagine the work of justice.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.