After a long and excruciating evening of waiting to see what state went to which candidate, the dust has settled and Mr. Donald Trump will be our 45^th President of the United States.  Trump mentioned that Clinton was a fierce competitor and that she should be respected for the service she has given over the past thirty years.

I have to look at this as an example of what happens when you exhume too much confidence and assume things will go your way.  Those who work harder get more successful results.  Trump went from being a reality star, a business mogul, a political laughing stock to now holding the highest position in the land.

Hillary Clinton did not use the Latino Vote properly to ensure victory. It’s nice that you can go on a late night talk show or on Telemundo and dance the merengue on your birthday. Have you gone into the heart of the Latino communities within the United States and talked with people living in the shadows? Not just the Latinos that gets pre-screened to be part of your bleacher section.

For over a year, our publication had made a strong effort to contact both Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama to come to our offices or us coming to them and discussing issues that concern the Latino community of the Delaware Valley and the nation.

We are a community that works hard in high paying positions as well as low-paying jobs that no other person cares to apply for.  We have served our country in many world wars and some have paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.

How were we repaid for all of our hard work? A flurry of emails wanting donations, more photo ops than you can shake a stick at, and a lack of visibility where it was needed the most…in the barrio. 

It does not matter how many Hollywood stars or music artists you can recruit. The real VIP’s are the Latinos that live from paycheck to paycheck, who work in the fields for less than minimum wage, those who are trying to become naturalized citizens, and our youth who are now living in fear of ever achieving their “American Dream”.

Little things mean a lot.  We are not like major television network that is controlled by master puppeteers with deep pockets.  We are a News Media that has always been for and about the people.  We made our plea to them. This was their response:

FN-WHO-Media_Affairs

Dear XXXX,

Thank you for contacting the White House regarding the possibility of an interview with President Obama.

We regret to inform you that we are not able to accommodate your request at this time. We will keep your request on file.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,

White House Media Affairs

This is a form or a rejection letter…just more political. Although our request was sent out to multiple contacts for both individuals, there was no response from the Clinton camp.  This is a brushoff.  For an individual who wants Latinos to look at her as our champion, this is not a positive step forward.

Her stellar career serving this country is not the issue. Keeping Latinos in the shadows until it was politically convenient is.  We have to look at this election as a possible sign of things to come in the future. The stench of hate, racism, and sexism reared its ugly head. Our survival as a country and more specifically as a culture is at stake.

You reap what you sow.  Ms. Clinton poorly made the political bed that now we all have to lie in.  What we need to do as Latinos is stand up for ourselves more than we ever had in the past, fight for certain rights that for a “privileged” few, politically be more conscious and find un hombre o mujer that can represent Latinos four years from now.  If we want something done right we have to do it ourselves.