‘Our Community is Awake’: DAI Latino Parishes Organize Through the Midterms and Beyond

[Excerpts]

In late October, parishioners at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Dallas walked through the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Oak Cliff, asking for feedback and inviting residents to the parish festival. Going door to door, they asked people not only about their concerns but also what they loved about the community. 

The Latino vote is often described as a “sleeping giant,” but Amanda Benavidez, a leader with Dallas Area Interfaith at the parish, disagrees. 

“We reject that narrative. Our community is awake. There are people that are working two jobs, raising kids and supporting our parishes,” she said. “What our community needs isn’t a drive-by campaign ad. I think what we need is more relational respect, listening.”...

Using turnout data from the 2022 midterms, Dallas Area Interfaith identified historically low voter participation in West Dallas, including in areas served by St. Cecilia, Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos/Santa Teresita and St. Mary of Carmel. In October, the organization helped Santa Teresita parishioners host what they called a “civic academy,” which was developed by the Industrial Areas Foundation, a national community organizing network.

According to Silvia Manzano, an organizer with Dallas Area Interfaith, people in the area said they didn’t understand the voting procedure, how to identify their voting district and the difference between elected offices. Using a sample ballot, the academy walked participants through the process and explained the roles of officials like state senators and representatives.

And while they also help people register to vote, “[t]his isn’t a partisan matter,” Father Ángel Ríos, a Dallas Area Interfaith leader and pastor of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos/Santa Teresita Catholic Church [addressing group in photo below], said in Spanish….He referred to the U.S. bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” in which he said the bishops encourage Catholics to vote “without any intention of telling you who to vote for”...

Even if they are eligible, [Father Ríos] said, many immigrants, influenced by corruption in their countries of origin, have low confidence in the electoral process and do not prioritize voting.

“But once people see themselves affected, in their family, their work, their community, this concern arises,” he said. “Maybe the parents don’t have the ability to vote, but their children do.”...

“We hope everybody who is eligible participates in the democracy through their vote. But that’s only a part of what it means to really, actively participate in a community,” [Tim McManus, senior organizer with the Industrial Areas Foundation] said. “It’s the long-term work of restoring human dignity to an understanding of what it means to be political in a community that goes way beyond political parties or elections.”

How Latino voters will influence the midterms: ‘Our community is awake,’ America Magazine [pdf]