High school students Imelda Meza and Jesus Serrano are both in the organization Loud for Tomorrow and are phone banking on a weekly basis and are also taking the initiative to go out into the community and spread the word about voting.
Their goal with Loud for Tomorrow is to make a difference in the community by going out and getting people involved and politically engaged.
“Living within a very small community, a person’s opinions are viewed as small and insignificant. We live off the decisions that others make, and on some of these decisions we don’t agree with,” said Meza. “Not only does voting affect the community we live in, but also the populations found around my community. So, in conclusion, voting in the community affects the decisions that we must live with on a daily basis.”
Meza said although she cannot vote herself, she has multiple reasons as to why voting is so important and why she is dedicated to getting others to vote.
“As a child of farmworkers, I have seen my parents’ voices being very silenced. They never got a say in anything they did and were valued too as less than. I see my sister killing herself in school just to try and get her voice heard as a child of undocumented immigrants here, being one herself,” said Meza. “So, to sum this all up, the reason why voting is so important to me is because it makes a person’s voice be heard, no matter how much they think it isn’t.”
At first, Meza started doing this work because her older sister wanted her to have something on her resume, but after a while of getting to know the organization, she started to understand the work and the impact they were making in the community.
“I started to understand the passion found within these walls and started to grow one for myself. Not only this but I started to see people find the same values as me and start understanding why I do what I do and why I have a passion for it. I started to understand the community aspect of the work I was doing, and it made me feel so proud of not only myself but my fellow peers in the organization.”
Serrano said his goals with this program are to get people involved in the community, especially those who may feel like they do not have a voice. He wants people to vote because everyone’s vote makes a difference.
“I want to make them feel like their opinions and voice matters. Especially me not being eligible to vote makes me want to go the extra mile to get people involved in the community the most they can. Use your voice and your power to make a change,” said Serrano.
Serrano would tell people who are unsure of whether or not to vote to just give it a try and if there are concerns that they may be experiencing, voting is the best way to get out there and make a change.
“Me personally before joining Loud for Tomorrow I was insecure about my immigration status and felt like I could never become anyone in the country. But after joining my organization now I feel welcomed and included in the community,” said Serrano. “These are the differences Loud for Tomorrow is making, but only that they work tirelessly to go out there and make a change in people’s life by caring for them and just helping them whenever they need it.”
Loud for Tomorrow will be hosting a “Juntos Por El Valle” pop-up tour that is mobilizing Latinos to the polls. Their next stop will be on Sunday, October 30th at the Richgrove swap meet.