For California Latinos, Hispanic Heritage Month was marked by pain, division and some hope

The hopeful start of this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month was quickly followed by disturbing news of a Republican governor shipping migrants across the country for the sake of a political stunt.

What was supposed to be a celebration of the contributions and spirit of the Latino community was thereby cruelly interrupted. It was a stark reminder that despite progress, many Latinos remain at the mercy of cruel politicians and political forces beyond our control.

Even as President Joe Biden celebrated the Latino community at the White House, the courts were delivering another blow to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that DACA, which protects nearly 600,000 young immigrants from deportation, is illegal. It also allowed those already enrolled in the program to renew their status, effectively leaving hundreds of thousands of lives in legal limbo.

But this Hispanic Heritage Month, which concluded last weekend, was not without its rays of hope. Such a moment came after thousands of people joined California farmworkers in completing a 335-mile march from Delano to Sacramento. The marchers channeled the historic pilgrimages of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to demand that Gov. Gavin Newsom sign a bill to improve organizing rights for the largely Latino workforce. And Newsom ultimately joined labor leaders at a Sacramento vigil to sign the measure, delivering a victory the community had long sought.

All of that momentum came crashing to a halt, however, in the last week of our community’s symbolic month. A leaked recording of three Latino Los Angeles City Council members revealed them making racist and homophobic remarks about their colleagues, the community and the young, Black son of a fellow council member. It was a disgraceful show of unmasked political cynicism and racial contempt, prompting calls for resignations from City Hall to the White House.

Yet even from the deepest valleys of despair, we must rededicate ourselves and our community to a higher calling: to fight for a more hopeful and inclusive future. We can’t allow opportunistic politicians to play with our lives. And we can’t stand by as the worst representations of our communities stoke racial division and undermine our potential. We have worked too hard and overcome too much to let these tragic circumstances define us.

In the wake of the furor and demands for resignations in Los Angeles, Latino leaders must consider how we can rebuild bridges and trust across marginalized communities. Our community will have to dig deeper and recommit to rooting out the bigotry, homophobia and colorism that has spread across generations and followed us across borders.

It will take careful and purposeful dedication, but if we want to build a sustainable and inclusive movement built on the power of people instead of dishonest backdoor schemes, we must take this moment for what it is: an opportunity to begin anew. This fall’s election provides a promising place to start.

It falls upon us, as it always has, to march our way toward a kinder, more equitable and more just society. We must keep marching together, arm in arm and step by step, to create collective political victories and build community power. Then we might have a Hispanic Heritage Month that is truly worth celebrating.