Swordsmen are an Italian American freelance journalist who writes about social justice and public health.
The Fulcrum gifts We are the Peoplea series that raises the voice and visibility of the people most affected by the decisions of elected officials. At this stage, we explore the motivations of over 36 million qualifiers Latino voters as they prepare to make their voices heard in November.
The Latino community is Maryland’s fastest growing demographic. According to Census Bureau estimates, by 2023, Latinos will make up 11.5 percent of the state’s population.
Langley Park, once a thriving Latino community located in three jurisdictions in the state of Maryland, appears to be under siege. Roadwork, orange barricades and drilling equipment litter University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, making it treacherous to pass dozens of small Latino-owned businesses.
“They are killing us. They know it and don’t care. It is a done deal,” said 61-year-old Jorge Sactic, owner of Chapina Bakery in La Union commercial center.
He was referring to the local and state transportation authorities that are promoting the Purple Line. This $2.25 billion transportation project envisions 16 miles of light rail connecting various suburban communities across the state just north of the nation’s capital. Among these communities is Langley Park, which has an estimated population of 21,000, and at least 85 percent of residents are from Central America.
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Intended to bring new opportunities and economic development to areas that currently lack access to rail transportation, the Purple Line, according to a 2017 study conducted by the University of Maryland, could also reduce affordable housing and displace many low-income residents who have lived for generations in communities like Langley Park, known as the International Corridor for its ethnic diversity .
This is the main issue on Sactic’s mind before the presidential election in November. As a longtime Langley Park community leader and founder of the small business association for La Union vendors, he said daily survival is his priority and that of many of his fellow citizens. from Guatemala and El Salvador.
Sactic’s bakery — named for Chapín, the colloquial term for people of Guatemalan descent — is one of 46 small businesses in the two-story shopping center. The shop owners and keepers in La Union are mainly from Central America, and their commercial activities cater to their countrymen. Two giant murals depicting workers and people in traditional dress with a tropical backdrop welcome visitors.
“Here, we sell memories and feelings,” explains Sactic, who offers a bakery small pieces and gallianetasauthentic Guatemalan sweet buns, among other delicious foods. “When people come to the bakery, the food they taste brings them home, and they are happy.”
At the bakery, Sactic also offers notary services to members of his community who need official documents. “Many don’t have legal documentation, so they can’t vote.”
Sactic knows firsthand what it’s like to have no legal status. At age 25, when Guatemala was torn apart by civil war, he fled his country and swam in the Rio Grande in Bronxville, Texas. Two years after becoming a US citizen in 2002, Sactic opened Chapina. He had already voted. He doesn’t hesitate to respond when asked about priority issues for the Latino community in the upcoming presidential election.
“First of all, we care about immigration. We want people who have been here for generations and contributed to growing the economy to be legal,” he said. Sactic, like other Langley Park residents I spoke with, expressed concerns about new immigrants not being as hardworking as immigrants from previous generations and more likely to engage in criminal activities.
Sactic said many Latinos have lost faith in the Democratic Party.
“Older immigrants feel betrayed by this administration,” he explained. “Since Obama, they’ve promised us immigration reform so that people who have been here for years can become legal. This party has lied ever since.” In fact, he added, the largest amnesties have occurred under Republican administrations.
A national survey of Latino voters conducted by the Hispanic Federation in August indicates that 21 percent of respondents consider immigration reform for immigrants in the United States the most important issue aside from economic concerns.
Another important topic that will motivate Latino voters this November, according to Sactic, is family. More specifically, family values: “Most Latinos are for a traditional family composition. We do not accept couples with different sexual orientations. This issue is important to us and will motivate the many have voted.”
However, according to a 2022 report by the Pew Research Center on how Hispanics view social issues, there is a big difference between the younger and older generations of Latinos when it comes to acceptance of same-sex marriage and transgender people. Latino adults have more conservative views on issues of sexual orientation.
The Hispanic Federation survey also found that jobs and the economy remained high on Latino voters’ list of motivations in November. “Trump wants to bring jobs back to America. For us, that means more jobs here and for our community,” Sactic said. “Remember, Latinos do the dirty and hard work. No weekend for us. We work at all hours, day and night.”
Distrust of the party in power can also stem from local politics. Sactic said few government officials from this historically Democratic state seem to care about the fate of Langley Park’s more than 18,000 Latino residents. “Our elected officials did not bother to meet with us. No one knows who they are. They have never come here,” he said.
Ironically, a few months ago, the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, visited La Union to recognize the huge Guatemalan community in Maryland. Sactic, also known as the unofficial mayor of Langley Park, helped organize the visit, which briefly revived the mall’s activity. Since construction of the Purple Line began, store owners have lost 50 percent of their customers and are struggling to pay rent.
But in the early evening, the side streets of this workers’ neighborhood are filled with parked white commercial vans used by construction workers. Food stalls scattered around several major intersections sell traditional Latin American food like carne asada — marinated grilled meat — arepas, pupusas, and bags of sliced mangoes with lime juice and spices. Despite the uncertainty, life goes on.
“We’ve been in this community for over 30 years,” Sactic said. “We started businesses from scratch, created jobs, and paid taxes. We feel betrayed at the national level and locally as well.”
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, The Fulcrum will continue to publish stories from around the country featuring the people who make up the powerful Latino electorate to better understand the hopes and concerns of an often misunderstood , diverse communities.
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