Black and Latino voters are pursuing candidates who want a permanent ceasefire in Gaza
Many Black and Latino people in the U.S who are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza see their own histories of displacement and colonialism reflected in the war.
LOS ANGELES — As the California election approaches, many Black and Latino voters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza say the humanitarian crisis unfolding thousands of miles away is swaying which Democratic Party candidates they support in the U.S.
Demonstrators at a Los Angeles rally in support of the Palestinian people, one of many organized in U.S. cities Saturday, said their solidarity with Gaza was an extension of the struggles they experience every day.
It is a sentiment, some say, they will take to the voting booth this election season.
“Our liberation is intertwined with the liberation of Palestine,” said Eduardo “Lalo” Vargas, a public high school teacher who is running for the Los Angeles City Council in District 14, where 62% of residents speak Spanish.
Vargas said he will not support President Joe Biden for a second term because of his administration’s refusal to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have died since Hamas militants’ terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. About 1,200 people were killed and about 240 hostages were taken in the multipronged attacks on Israel.
Rating: 5