By Emily Gonzalez
Being a Latina woman and a child of immigrants, as well as growing up in the middle class, has had a huge impact on my relationship with politics. It has also influenced my personal opinion on policies regarding immigration, abortion, healthcare, and taxes, to name a few. Being a child of immigrants has molded my views on immigration policies in the USA. Because my parents were immigrants and I understood that they were looking for the “American Dream,” I have been sympathetic to immigrants my whole life. The ability to understand firsthand the sacrifices immigrants make in order to provide a better future for their kids has always made me side with pro-immigration policy. Being Latina is a huge part of my identity, and because I identify as one, I support policies that are pro-Latino. For example, living through Trump’s presidency, during which he made many distasteful comments about Latinos, made me take an even stronger stance on my dislike for him. Living through a time in which feminism began to resurface in the media and pop culture in waves and growing up in a household in which I was told that I could do anything that a man could and that I deserved a seat at the table regardless of who opposed me definitely influenced my opinions on women’s rights. I am extremely vocal about my desire for equal wages, the removal of the Pink Tax, and abortion rights for all. I think the fact that I was born into the generation of Gen Z has definitely affected my views on politics. My peers are often pro-immigration, pro-equal wages, healthcare, and changing the tax system to tax the upper class. I have seen how hard my father has worked in hopes of providing a better life for me than what he had. He faced the adversity of the 2008 recession and was able to maintain a household, give me a good upbringing, and still pay his taxes, thus influencing my opinions on taxes and financial programs for middle- and low-income families. As a kid, I found it baffling how wealthier people endured fewer effects of taxes while the rest of the American public still paid their dues. Through these aspects and experiences, I have been shaped in a way that has developed my relationship with politics.
Politics really began to be discussed in my house around the time Obama was running for president. During this time, at every family gathering or party, someone was talking about Obama being a candidate and his chances of winning the presidency. I distinctly remember my dad discussing how he was going to vote for Obama due to his emphasis on issues affecting the middle class, universal healthcare, and his advocacy for stronger taxes for corporations and regulating Wall Street. While one of my uncles was leaning towards Obama’s opponent, the Republican John McCain, Living in a bilingual household, my parents watched the news in both English and Spanish, and as they watched the news during Obama’s postulation to the presidential candidacy, there was an increase in political coverage. As coverage of his run for the presidency became more prominent in my everyday life, I slowly began to become more interested in politics. I remember staying until 11 p.m. on election night with my dad to see the results of the election.
Even at the age of 5 years old, I was intrigued by politics, but I truly began to research and become informed about politics at the age of 10. As I began to sit in and listen to adults talking about political issues such as 9/11, the economy, immigration policy, and taxation, I noticed that there is a divide between political parties in the Latino community. For example, I noticed that although my dad and my uncle came to this country as immigrants and collectively struggled through the recession of 2008, they differed in policy regarding these issues.Although I understood that there was a pre-existing separation between Latino voters and their support of the Democratic and Republican parties, I still wanted to figure out more about this. As I got older, my father and I began to discuss our own opinions regarding current policies or legislation. Because I grew up in a household in which politics was discussed and questioned, I believe this sparked my interest in politics and has allowed me to continue to question American politics.
I grew up in Perth, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is an urban town in which the majority of the population is Latino. The neighborhood I grew up in was a middle-class neighborhood in which 90 percent of the people spoke Spanish. As I got older, the population in Amboy started to double, making the city overpopulated and decreasing many resources for its citizens. Two summers ago, I experienced a drive-by that had never happened in my area of town. The overpopulation of residents and the increase in violence have led me and many others to want to leave the town. My neighborhood reflects challenges such as changes in demographics, income levels, control over gangs, and gun violence in US democracy. Before the 1970s, the Perth Amboy population was majority white, and as the 1970s progressed, there was the introduction of Latinos and African Americans in the town. The majority of white residents had now become a “minority,” and the Latino population had become a majority. Even though the town is mostly Latino, there is still a present minority of whites who express the fear of being “replaced.” Income and taxes are a dominating issue in my community because, although the majority of the residents are middle-class, there are a few wealthy residents who complain about tax dollars being spent on welfare programs, associations, and school funding. Despite this difference, the residents are united by the desire to curtail the rise of violence. Just like the US democracy’s ongoing battle with issues such as “the tyranny of the minority,” taxes, and gun violence, my neighborhood is a small fraction of a reflection of what is prevalent in the country.
I would say I am pretty involved in politics. This year, I voted for the first time in my town’s municipal election, and I have started to delve deeper into issues surrounding US policy and events. I have even started to look into possibly registering at the polls for the next election as well as joining BergVotes. My friends are less involved in politics, due to not being comfortable with aligning with a specific party’s views. And because young people are the target audience of politicians running for offices, they see no need to participate in politics because they aren’t being addressed as well as issues that matter to them. My friends, although they don’t follow politics as closely as I do, there is a rise of activism within the community using their social media and platforms to make their voices heard. I would say that there is a mix of young people caring about politics with those who don’t. Issues that are important to me are immigration, abortion, climate change, human rights, equal pay, gun violence,taxes. The issues that are important to my friends are human rights, climate change, abortion. What makes these issues so important to us is because each of these issues have affected us or those around us in a way.
Living through a time in which the first African-American man was elected president to the insurrection of January 6th has really affected and shaped my political views and aspirations. The events that have shaped my political views are the election of the first African American president, Barack Obama, 9/11, the Sandy Hook shooting, the black lives matter movement, the Me Too movement, the insurrection of January 6, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Watching the first African-American president caused me to believe that the nation was moving towards a more racially diverse government. 9/11 was ingrained into my childhood and served as a reminder of the perseverance of Americans . Growing up in a time where lockdowns were the norm made me want to advocate for gun reforms and changes in gun laws. Witnessing the Me Too movement in front of my eyes caused me to research issues such as sexual abuse and discrepancies in women’s rights both within and outside the workforce. The overturning of Roe v. Wade was a huge one because, for most of my life, abortion was protected by the Constitution, and then the Supreme Court decided to overturn this precedent, and I was shocked.. The new restriction on women’s rights caused me to be even stronger in my stance on abortion. The simple fact that Gen Z collectively has experienced the rise and fall of democracy in the nation has affected the generation’s political opinions as a whole.
In light of recent events surrounding the situation in Israel and Palestine, it has become apparent that the topic is debated inside and outside of the classroom. Having classmates from both backgrounds allowed me to listen to the different perspectives surrounding the issues and the controversy that comes with them. I realized that the issue was becoming polarized and watched how Arabic students expressed how they did not feel supported by the college. In relation to students feeling like they weren’t supported by the college, it goes into the topic of academic freedom and how a higher education institution should respond to issues like this one. Discussing this issue prompted me to research how the American government as well as the American people were responding to this conflict. The contrasting views between those involved in conflict allowed me to reflect on how those in power frame this issue and how western governments discuss the possibility of a two-state solution. When this issue was being picked up by the media, I was unaware of the pre-existing issue between Israel and Palestine. And learning about how this has been a continuous conflict changed my understanding of the situation.
I had thought that I had a pretty decent understanding of politics but this class opened my eyes even further in regards to all the moving components in the American Political system. I learned how the overuse of executive power has affected American Politics. I was surprised to learn about how there are counter-majoritarian features and how these counter-majoritarian institutions affect our democracy. One thing I found extremely interesting was the concept of the “tyranny of minority” and how this has affected the Republican party. The course has allowed me to gain a careful understanding of the inner workings and polarization of our government.
In reflection, my political views have been shaped in response to my upbringing, being a Latina woman, and my experiences. My political views have also been influenced by the rise of media and technology. I believe that as I continue to learn more about public policies and other issues, my views will continue to expand. Discussing policies with those who have contrasting views as me would allow me to understand the differences. I understand that as our world goes through changes, so will my views.
