Lupita Rojas, 18 and a student majoring in business in college, was born in the United States and will vote for the first time in this election. She plans to do it by mail, when her ballot arrives. She has good reasons to vote.
“It’s important for young people to go out and vote if they want change for our community, something good for the future,” she said. “If not, everything will remain the same.”
In 2008, Lupita’s father, Eraclio Rojas, was working at an office supply factory in Van Nuys when ICE arrived and arrested 138 employees, Eraclio among them. The family was desperate. Isabel Rojas, Lupita’s mother, learned about CHIRLA in a news broadcast and called to ask for help getting her husband out of detention. They freed him on bond after two days, but the experience changed Isabe’s usual fearful attitude.
“I got interested,” she said, “because there were a lot of things that I didn’t know about my rights; if I had known about them, a lot of things wouldn’t have happened to me.”
From then on, the Rojas family began to get educated and empowered about their rights as human beings and immigrants in this country. And the habit of participating in actions infected Lupita with an awareness of her power as an active member of the community.
“We’ve worked to get out the vote and knock on doors,” Lupita said. “Now we’re making calls to urge people to vote. Also, we have done lobbying in Sacramento, Washington and even at the Supreme Court.”
Lupita has also gone to meetings and talked with members of Congress, even Kamala Harris, the current candidate for vice president, during her presidential campaign. So now, as her first opportunity to vote nears, Lupita plans to do it on behalf of all those who cannot vote. And for those who can vote, she has a piece of advice.
“They need to go out and vote, because that is the only way to change what we don’t like about the current government,” she said. “If they want something better for our community, something good for our future, and if they no longer want to see discrimination against immigrants and racism against the African-American community , with their vote, everyone will hear our voice.”
For more information about the election, visit www.chirla.org/election2020 or call the CHIRLA immigrant assistance line at 888–624–4752.
To watch a video of Lupita’s story and her participation in #YoSoyCaliforniayVoto, click here.
