At the 29th Hispanic Heritage Awards, Junot Diaz accepted the literature award with a powerful speech on Latinx history and the power of our community, tying our struggles to the struggles of brown peoples around the world. Voto Latino has turned those words into a moving video to inspire Latinx voters to hit the polls this Election Day. Check out the transcript and video below.
“Our story is an epic, a saga, an odyssey. We crossed continents, we crossed oceans and every time there was no way we made a way. We are the children of bridges –bridges made from our backs our tears our sacrifice and from all the ones who never made it across with us.
We in the Latina community are among the greatest heroes our world has known. And yet despite all we do and all we are, we find ourselves attacked and demonized and endangered. Not just in this country, either. All over the world communities like ours are under assault. And this is why we can’t just survive or live—we have to fight. We have to fight for justice and we have to fight for equality. All of us must be free all of us must be free all of us must be free or none.” – Junot Díaz