Let’s Get to Work!

Well, folks. You did it. More than 12 million Latinos turned out to vote, making it a decisive voting bloc. It’s a truly historic moment.

The sleeping giant that is the Latino community was awakened this election and we have the numbers to prove it. Our civic engagement director, Clarissa Martinez de Castro, summed it best to NBC Latino today:

“Last night Latinos confirmed unequivocally that the road to the White House goes through Hispanic neighborhoods,” said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

So, now where do we go from here? There’s ample work to be done, not the least of which is finding a fix for our broken immigration system. While it wasn’t the most important issue this election for Latinos, it was certainly a top concern. The president can attribute his victory yesterday to the Latino community, addressing immigration in the first year of his upcoming turn seems like it should be first on his list.

But, just like all Americans, Latinos are most concerned with curing the ailing economy and ensuring that everyone who wants a job has a job. We’re also want better education for our kids and we want health care to be as accessible as possible. We are ready to work with the Obama administration and the Congress to get all of these done.