John Leguizamo said Donald Trump has done one good thing this election cycle, rile up the Latino community. On Friday, the Colombian-American actor penned an op-ed for The New York Times saying now is the time for the Latino community to vote and have their voices heard.
The impassioned op-ed covers a number of topics, but the main thing Leguizamo gets across is that voting should be important to the Latino community. He said in the past groups have tried to corral the Latino vote but to no avail. But he says the inflammatory rhetoric Trump has been spewing about Latino people lately, has gotten the community invigorated:
“Donald J. Trump has done one good thing. He has galvanized a conflicted and diverse community. For years, activists and politicians have struggled to get Latinos to vote and show their power. But not until Mr. Trump’s racist rhetoric shone a light on anti-Latino sentiment did we feel the need to make our voices heard on the issues that matter to us.”
Leguizamo has not been shy in his distaste for Trump. The Super Mario Bros. actor slammed SNL when they had Trump host last year and this op-ed shows that he is fired up. Leguizamo went on to say this election is a turning point for Latino people and they shouldn’t waste it:
“We need a Latino Spring in this country. We must demand an equal share of the American dream, and not accept a downgraded version of it….We need to stop accepting exclusion over persecution. In this critical election, and in the future, I urge you all to register and vote, to be counted and heard.”
You can read Leguizamo’s full op-ed here.
(Via The New York Times & The Hollywood Reporter)
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