Recently, State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa wrote an op-ed in Milwaukee’s Spanish Journal highlighting how Joe Biden will help Latinos recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

This week, Joe Biden released his Latino agenda — a plan that will ensure everyone, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or zip code, is treated with dignity and has a chance to join the middle class.

Tomorrow, as part of the campaign’s continued efforts to mobilize Latino voters across the state, former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and State Representative and Milwaukee Alder JoCasta Zamarripa will host a kick off event for Todos con Biden — a statewide coalition of Latino voters. RSVP HERE to cover the event.

Read more of Zamparria’s op-ed below:

Spanish Journal: Zamarripa: Joe Biden will help Latinos recover and thrive

The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting close to home for all of us. In our community here on the near south side of Milwaukee, loved ones are losing their jobs, health care workers on the front lines keep working without the equipment they need to stay safe, and far too many are losing their lives to this virus.

But as we’ve come to learn and experience every day, the coronavirus pandemic isn’t impacting everyone equally. It’s shined a bright light on the structural inequalities in our country – and communities of color have been hit harder than many could imagine. Even though Latinos are just 15 percent of the population in Milwaukee County, we make up the largest number of COVID-19 cases. How could the disparities be so stark?

In addition to the systemic racism and inequalities that plague our community, many Latinos are considered “essential workers” – which means they didn’t have a choice but to go into work despite the pandemic. But right now, our country and the Trump Administration don’t treat “essential workers” as essential – they’re not paid what they deserve, and many were forced to work without the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to keep themselves and others safe.

It’s one of the most consequential failures of government in American history, and here’s the honest-to-God truth: Despite numerous warnings from our own intelligence community, Donald Trump left our country completely unprepared to combat the coronavirus pandemic, and his Administration’s response has been dangerously inadequate. Despite losing more than 130,000 lives, tens of millions of American jobs, Donald Trump continues to fail as we see COVID-19 cases on the rise in parts of Wisconsin and across the country.

We desperately need new leadership – and now more than ever, we need Joe Biden’s experience and empathy in the White House.

While Donald Trump has spouted lies and stoked racial divisions, Joe has taken the mantle of a real leader and continually offered a better course. Joe’s plan would protect workers and help our economy – and the Latino community – recover. If Joe were president today, he would guarantee regular, reliable testing and PPE for anyone who is called back to work – and frankly, for the Latinos and working-class folks who never stopped working through this crisis. He’d make sure our health care workers have the PPE they need to care for patients, and he’d accelerate the development of treatments and vaccines. While Donald Trump has sowed chaos, Joe would help states reopen safely. And Joe would help our small businesses recover with an ambitious “restart package” that supports rehiring workers and covering other costs of restarting during this challenging time.

It’s been more than six months since America saw its first case of COVID-19. And throughout this crisis, the difference between what Joe Biden called for and what Donald Trump did reveals that only one of these candidates is the leader we can trust – and the other is a dangerously discredited threat to our well-being and our economy.

In this election, we all have to do our part to change the course of this country we love – and I pledge to do mine. I’m proud to join Joe Biden’s Latino Leadership Committee because he’s the ally our community needs in the White House. Unlike Donald Trump, Joe won’t lead with hate and division – he’ll lead with empathy, compassion, and respect. I know Joe has the character to bring us together, to beat this crisis, and to lead us into a just and equitable recovery for all – that’s why we need to elect him in November. Our livelihood depends on it.

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