LYNN — The numbers tell the story.
Nearly 39 percent of the city’s residents are Hispanic or Latino, 74 percent are in Lynn’s workforce, and their buying power is a whopping $16 billion in Massachusetts.
But the question is: Will they seize the opportunity to be a political powerhouse? The launch of the Lynn Latino Leadership Coalition promises to be a start.
On Friday night, more than five dozen activists filled the North Shore Adult Day Health Care on North Common Street for the group’s inaugural meeting.
“We matter,” said Carolina Trujillo, community relations director for the Essex Media Group, publisher of The Item and La Voz newspapers, to applause. “Our numbers matter, our votes matter, our voice matters. We need to make sure that our voices are heard and our needs met. That we have the power in our hands to shape the future we want for ourselves and our children.”
The mission of the coalition, she said, is to promote, educate and empower Latinos to increase inclusion, visibility and representation within the community.
Magalie Torres-Rowe, coalition president, welcomed the crowd to the first meeting of what is expected to be growing group with clout.
“Dreams come true,” she said. “Please join us.”
Former Lynn School Committee member Maria Carasco, the coalition’s vice president, said Latinos should be proud of this newly-founded organization.
“We are very excited to get started,” she said.
David Barrios, a 2019 graduate from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute and its valedictorian, said the Hispanic community must become more involved in city politics.
“Our voice will not be heard if we do not make an attempt to change anything,” he said. “We need to come together as one and express our opinions rather than letting others influence how we should think. Now is the time to create a strong Hispanic influence within the city’s politics. There is no more time to wait.”
Salem City Councilor-at-Large Domingo Dominguez, a native of the Dominican Republic and the first Latino elected to the post, implored the enthusiastic crowd to be persistent. And he should know. He ran for office four times before getting elected two years ago.
“Many people, including close friends and family, asked me time and time again why I kept running after losing all those times,” he said. “The losses hurt, but they also fueled me for the next run. I learned a lot from defeat. When I finally won, after almost 10 years, I truly understood how important my perseverance really was.”
He shared a favorite quote from Michael Jordan, regarded by many as the NBA’s greatest all-time player, who won six titles with the Chicago Bulls and earned $93 million in salary during his career as a player, according to Forbes.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career,” Jordan said. “I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I was trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Lawrence City Council President Kendrys Vasquez enthralled the crowd with his tale of winning a council seat at age 23. He has since served for four terms.
“Political leadership is sharing power with others in order to be successful,” he said. “Because when you empower others, it empowers the neighborhood, and when that happens you are able to get results.”
