Latinos are demonstrably enthusiastic about social media platforms. Given that enthusiasm and the pivotal role that Latinos will play in this November’s elections, social media is sure to take on even more political significance.
Civil rights organizations have noticed and are leading efforts to extend social activism to real-life improvement for this community. NCLR certainly understands the role of social media in our public discourse and we are happy to announce our participation in the first-ever Google+ Latino Hangout on Air, hosted by Latinos in Social Media (LATISM), at 7:00 p.m. EDT tonight.
The LATISM event, “Igniting the Latino Vote,” is innovative partly because it will make use of Google+’s convenient feature, the “hangout,” to gather prominent speakers including NCLR’s Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Director of Immigration and National Campaigns; Arturo Vargas from NALEO; Ilia Calderón from Univisión; Brent Wilkes from LULAC; and Leo Pierson from The Huffington Post’s Latino Voices; all under a cutting-edge technological app. The panelists will discuss important political topics such as the Latino vote in this Google-powered, user-friendly video chat that will last for an hour.
To participate in the discussion, just go to the NCLR Google+ page to watch. The hangout will stream there. The LATISM folks will also take questions from Twitter, so you can follow along there, too. Use the hashtag #LATISM to participate. You can also watch a recorded version of the panel on the LATISM National YouTube page after the event.
Initiatives like this could revolutionize civic engagement in the U.S. and provide an edge for Latinos to fully exert our political potential. Whether you decide to join the panel to participate in the live discussion or to issue a statement about the future involvement of Latinos in U.S. politics, it will certainly be worth your time.
To learn more about “Igniting the Latino Vote” or to join the discussion, visit the LATISM Google+ page.