OCT 26 2020
Carmen Gonzalez moved to the United states in 1986. Thirty-four years later, she is about to vote for the first time.
By Lauren Husband, Communications Team
Carmen was just 25 years old when she decided to leave her home in Mexico in search of a more prosperous life for herself and her three children. Carmen grew up in a small village in San Luis Potosí and was 18 when she had her first child. Work was scarce in her community, and only primary school was available for her children. In order to access work and secondary education, Carmen would have to move her family to a larger city— and even then, a better life and employment prospects were not guaranteed. Mexico’s economy was in the midst of a massive collapse. Economists now consider the 1980s in Mexico to be the “lost decade,” a period when inflation was high and economic growth was stagnant. Carmen knew she needed to find a place that offered more opportunity, and she made the difficult decision to move to the United States.
At the time that Carmen decided to uproot her family to the U.S., her 3 children were seven, six, and three years old. Carmen settled with her children in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, where she was a fieldworker, picking crops for local farms. She lived undocumented with her children in Oklahoma for two years, until her employer offered to sponsor her green card application in 1988.
When she first moved, her intention was to return to Mexico after earning enough wages to support her family for a while. As time passed, however, those plans began to change. Her family became established in their new home, and Carmen continued renewing her green card year after year. She never applied for citizenship, though, for over 3 decades in hopes of one day returning to her original home in Mexico.
Things changed when Carmen’s mother moved in with her five years ago. Dealing with her mother’s medical bills without Medicare or government support became very difficult. After years of struggling to maintain her mother’s health, Carmen knew that she didn’t want her own children to deal with those financial and institutional difficulties as she aged. At the same time, there was a lot of negative political rhetoric regarding immigrants and non-citizens floating around, which persuaded her to move quickly before her status or rights could be endangered. She finally decided to take the plunge— she applied for U.S. citizenship and was approved.
When asked what she’s looking most forward to as a new citizen, Carmen was excited about the ability to use her voice in important matters that directly impact her and the Latinx community.
“First and foremost, I am excited about having the right to vote and adding my voice to the Hispanic minority so that politicians take us seriously. Also I look forward to having a right to the Social Security that I’ve paid into ever since my arrival.”
Being a citizen also allows Carmen to aid the folks in her community. She has always been involved in the communities in which she has lived, and having citizenship status allows her to be a better resource to her neighbors without the benefits of citizenship.
Regarding voting for the first time, Carmen is going into the process with the help of her family and the local Spanish-language resources that are available in Northwest Arkansas.
“I know nothing about voting— so my daughter Ariana is helping me. Also, lots of local resources are available.”
Carmen realizes the importance of voting partially due to the many voting campaigns on Spanish-language radio and television which emphasize the importance of voting. And, Northwest Arkansas has drastically increased the number and variety of resources available to Spanish-speaking voters in the 2020 election season, with on-demand resources available before, during, and after voting at the polls. Similarly, more more Spanish-speaking candidates are running for office in Northwest Arkansas than ever before.
At the local level, the Fayetteville Public Library has Spanish-language resources on the candidates and the voting process. She also knows that she has resources available at Canopy NWA, Catholic Charities, and the local Hispanic Women’s Organization.
And for green card holders living in the US, Carmen has an important message:
“For those who are not yet citizens and have the ability to become citizens, I recommend they do so as soon as possible. That way, we…will have more voices to be heard by our leaders.”
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