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Approximately six million adults in the United States identify as Afro-Latino or Afro-Caribbean, which composes two percent of the total U.S. population and 12 percent of the country’s Latine population. However, Black folks with Latin American roots still lack representation in mainstream media, pop culture and politics.
Despite racial and socio-economic barriers, there are some Afro-Latines who are fighting for political representation, bringing about positive change in their local communities and making history in the process. As National Hispanic Heritage Month ends, and as the midterm elections quickly approach, here are eight Afro-Latine politicians and political candidates you should know.
01
Grace Diaz
Grace Diaz is the first Black Dominican-American woman to be elected to state office. She has served on the Rhode Island House of Representatives since November 2004. Diaz is a member of several committees, including the House Conduct Committee, the House Finance Committee and the House Small Business Committee. She was named the Democratic Caucus Chair in January 2015, and she is the first Vice Chair of the House Special Legislation Committee and the Rhode Island Democratic Party. Over the past few years, she has introduced programs and legislation that directly supports low-income families, college students and elderly Rhode Islanders, including the Student Success Act and the Rhode Island Child Care Assistance Program. Diaz is also a member of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), Women in Government, National Hispanic State Legislators and the Rhode Island Black and Latino Caucus.
02
Ritchie Torres
In November 2020, Ritchie Torres became the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress. He represents New York’s 15th Congressional District, which covers most of the South Bronx and is one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. Prior to being elected into the U.S. House of Representatives, Torres served as a member of the New York City Council for seven years, becoming the city’s youngest elected official and the first openly queer elected offical in the Bronx. During his seven-year tenure in City Council, where he also served as a deputy leader, Torres passed more than 40 pieces of legislation, many of which focused on issues related to public housing. Torres is a member of the Committee on Financial Services, and he currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and as co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.
03
Candace Valenzuela
Candace Valenzuela began her political career in 2017 when she became the first Afro-Latina to serve on the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District board. As an at-large representative, Valenzuela worked to expand STEM education and vocational training, pushed for funding for school renovations and focused on making the district more inclusive to students of all backgrounds. In 2019, she left office to focus on her congressional campaign and was the Democratic nominee for Texas’ 24th Congressional District during the 2020 general elections. Despite losing the election, the Texas native was later appointed by President Biden as a regional administrator with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where she currently oversees Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
04
Adriano Espaillat
Adriano Espaillat is the first Dominican American and first formerly undocumented immigrant to ever serve in Congress. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 and represents New York’s 13th Congressional District. Prior to his election to Congress, he served in the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. While in the Senate, Espaillat served as a member of the Environmental Conservation and as the Ranking Member of the Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee. While in the New York State Assembly, he chaired the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus. Currently serving his third term in Congress, Espaillat has worked to pass more than 900 bills and has been a vocal advocate for immigrants, tenants and small businesses.
05
Kristine Reeves
In 2016, Kristine Reeves made history as the first Black woman elected to the Washington House of Representatives in nearly 20 years. She served as the vice chair of the Business and Financial Services Committee and was a member of the Capital Budget and Community Development, Housing and Tribal Affairs. Reeves previously worked as an executive director of the Washington Military Alliance, where she focused on economic development for the military and defense sector, and as the South Sound Regional Director and Statewide Veterans Representative for Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). Reeves is currently running for election to the Washington House of Representatives. She won the primary election in August and is on the ballot in the upcoming November midterm elections.
06
Antonio Delgado
Antonio Delgado is the first person of African-American or Latin descent to ever be elected to Congress from Upstate New York. Earlier this year, after Brian Benjamin resigned, Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Delgado as lieutenant governor of New York; he is the first Latino and Afro Latino to ever serve in the position. Delgado previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented New York’s 19th Congressional District. While in Congress, he successfully passed the Family Farmer Relief Act and the Strengthening Financial Aid for Students Act, among many others. He also served as chairman of the House Small Business and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees. Delgado appeared on the ballot in the 2022 primary election for lieutenant governor. He won 58 percent of the vote and will be on the ballot with Gov. Hochul in the upcoming November midterm elections.
07
Julia Mejia
After winning by a single vote in the 2019 election, Julia Mejia became the first Afro Latina and immigrant to serve on the Boston City Council. Born in the Dominican Republic, she previously worked as an organizer with Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, and she is the founder of Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network (CPLAN), an organization that provides transformative resources for students and families. In addition to her role as an at-large city councilor, Mejia currently serves as the chair of several committees, including the Committee on Education and the Committee on Government Accountability, Transparency, and Accessibility. She is also a member of the Civil Rights and Immigrant Advancement Committee and the Strong Women, Families, and Communities Committee, among others. As an “advocate for positive change,” Mejia was named “Best Local Hero” by Boston Magazine in 2020.
08
Maxwell Alejandro Frost
Maxwell Frost is a 25-year-old Afro-Cuban activist and gun violence survivor. He is currently running as the Democratic nominee for Florida’s 10th Congressional District in the 2022 midterm elections. He is hoping to “thwart Republican Cuban American power in Florida and win a central Florida seat representing Orlando.” Should he win the general election in November, Frost will make history as the first Gen Z member of Congress, the first Afro-Cuban member of Congress and the youngest member of Congress. Previously, he worked as the national organizing director for March for Our Lives and as an organizer with the American Civil Liberties Union. He was also actively involved with Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign. Frost supports the Green New Deal, gun violence prevention, environmental justice, prison abolition and decriminalizing sex work and marijuana use.
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