MEET Pura Teresa Belpré y Nogueras

June 6, 2024 Buffalo Latino Village

Today, you began with a dream and a fresh Google search. Searching for “it,” whatever “it” may be for you. At least you can claim you pursued “it”… your own version of “it.” But you must try “it” and invest in “it.” And you’re more likely to do so, as Latinos are 33% more inclined to purchase products advertised on social media compared to 20% of non-Latinos.

Latinos share common platforms, but the way we define success is as diverse as our Amazon lists. Whether your daily goal is a dryer full of matching socks and you are one of the 58% of Latinos watching YouTube or you are one of the 60% of us on Facebook, boarding the perfectly timed departure flight, your scrolling in between means something.

Despite rebrands, the Pew Research Center reports that 73% of Latino adults aged 18 to 49 get their news via digital devices, with 27% favoring social media specifically. Among Latinos over 50, 43% prefer digital devices, and 5% social media. This indicates that your political views, perhaps influenced by a cousin’s social media posts or other sources, significantly affect your Latina vote. Your voice and your vote are important. It’s not just a phrase; it’s a reality. Over 1 in 10 voters this November (11%) are expected to be Latino, a 20.5% increase from 2016, according to NALEO. That’s a powerful voice, and it belongs to you.

Data is universally influenced by one thing: your innate curiosity, leading you to the search bar If you are Latino, those search results will undoubtedly shape election results, as 36% of Latinos consider social media their primary news source. And our news informs our votes. Voting means you can have a say in the places that mean something. Like the library, and Pura Teresa Belpré y Nogueras, the first Puerto Rican librarian of the New York Public Library and author of the first bilingual book circulated in mainstream publication titled “Perez and Martinez,” who revolutionized library science utilizing her life experience to craft welcoming literacy spaces for thousands of Puerto Rican (from 1921 – 1943), would appreciate your participation.

At least I’m betting on it. Genius, artist, poet, a prolific writer of inclusive and transformative children’s literature and civic American hero.Pura provides our #latinaherstory feature quote.”To appreciate the present, one must have a knowledge of the past…to know where we go, we must know from where we came…”

Born in 1899, approximately 95 years before the first smartphone was sold, the need for bilingual communications has only increased, as in our connectivity to each other in different countries and places. And while our libraries, voting status, future diets, puppies, and home improvements may look different month to month thanks to algorithms, our individual characters shine through. For Pura, as a college student of UPR Rio Piedras, she bet on New York and a career in public service, attending the Library School of the New York Public Library. No matter how many times your major, career, and life goals change, the doers in the arena leave their mark on the world.

Like Pura and other civic pioneers who have paved the way for meaningful participation in civic and public spaces, take a moment to search “register to vote” online, and if you haven’t yet, consider making that your priority today. May is a month of abundance. Be generous to yourself and your phrase your google search terms well. And if you are registered, follow your local parties on social media. Increasingly our political leaders are altering the tune of their messages to echo within social media platforms and meet us where we are at. Online. It’s not enough to just show up; engagement is key. Respond to them, stay informed. The journey of a voter doesn’t stop at registration; it starts there.