By james art 
Saturday, November 2, 2024 | 2 in the morning
On Thursday, at a campaign rally for Kamala Harris at the Craig Ranch Amphitheater in Las Vegas, the vice president was joined on stage by pop culture icon Jennifer Lopez. Lopez was there to deliver a simple message to Harris’ opponent, Donald Trump, about American Latinos — especially Latino women — in the 2024 electorate: Our voices and voices matter, and we will not tolerate being insulted or silenced.
Lopez is of Puerto Rican descent — the same Puerto Rico that Trump surrogate Tony Hinchcliffe called a “floating trash island” at a Trump rally on Sunday. This despite the fact that Puerto Rico is a US territory and Puerto Ricans are US citizens. The language mirrored that of Trump. He said America is a garbage can because of immigration, meaning immigrants are garbage.
Fighting back tears, Lopez said the Trump campaign — which appeared to endorse Hinchcliffe’s speech — had offended “every Latino in this country” with his rally at Madison Square Garden.
“At Madison Square Garden (Trump) reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said. “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day, right? It was every Hispanic in this country, it was humanity and anyone of decent character.
“We should be upset,” she continued. “We should be scared and outraged. We must. Our pain matters. We matter. Your voice and your voice matter. … This is our country too.”
Lopez’s appearance comes just days after Bad Bunny, one of the world’s biggest Latin music stars, shared Harris’ platform on Puerto Rico on social media, and former Trump supporter and reggaeton star Nicky Jam withdrew his support for the former president .
Trump’s response to the outrage and frustration of Puerto Ricans and other American Latinos was to double down on the little “trash” by scheduling a cosplay photo with a Trump garbage truck that the aging former president struggled to get into. The message: Immigrants are trash and he would get rid of them.
JLo’s appearances at Harris’ rally highlighted more than just token support — they highlighted Harris’ genuine advocacy for Latinos, a relationship built on a foundation of trust and tangible results. Since her early days in California, Harris’ policies and initiatives have focused on closing economic gaps, protecting civil rights, and improving access to education and health care. These are the pillars upon which the American dream is built, and they are critical to the progress and prosperity of both Latino families and working-class Americans.
As California Attorney General, Harris took steps to change the relationship between law enforcement and Latino communities in a way that focused on community safety and trust while creating accountability for violent and repeat offenders.
As a senator, Harris focused on the bread-and-butter issues that most acutely affect Latino families, and indeed all families. She introduced the Livable Incomes for Families Today (LIFT) Act, a bill that offers a tax credit for middle- and low-income Americans. The policy was intended to provide up to $6,000 a year for working families seeking upward mobility. Although the bill failed to pass Congress, its spirit lives on in Harris’ continued advocacy for financial relief for working families, including expanded child tax credits and support for education initiatives.
For Harris, education is essential to opening doors of opportunity. She has been an outspoken advocate for policies that support early childhood education, access to community colleges and debt-free higher education. In 2021, she supported the Biden administration’s Plan for American Families, which offers two years of free community college and significant investment in Pell Grants. These policies have the potential to change lives and lift entire families out of poverty.
Throughout her career, Harris has also prioritized access to affordable health care and housing. During the pandemic, Latino families were among the hardest hit, facing both higher rates of COVID-19 infections and economic setbacks. Harris has strongly supported relief efforts aimed at these communities, from expanding access to vaccines to pushing for increased unemployment benefits for workers in sectors such as hospitality, construction, agriculture and manufacturing — industries essential to the economy of Nevada and are heavily populated with Latino workers.
The policies Harris has proposed for Latino communities reflect her broader commitment to working families across America. Her vision seeks to provide hardworking Americans with access to the tools that help families achieve the American Dream.
Harris understands the nuances of the Latin American experience in America. Her advocacy for Latino families is woven into her broader framework for the nation, a plan aimed at fostering a society where everyone, regardless of background, has a fair chance to succeed. In a divided political landscape, Harris’ commitment to the American Dream remains a unifying force, championing a vision in which Latino families and all American families have the support they need to thrive.