WEEK OF OCTOBER 31, 2024
VOLUME 35| ISSUE 44
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Community leaders celebrated as ‘Las Jefas and Jefes’
How does Colorado keep noncitizens and dead people from voting? Protections involve everything from the DMV database to what’s known as the ‘death list’ BY CAITLYN KIM CPR NEWS
If that’s the price you have to pay to get a quality education to continue your trajectory, then that’s the price you pay,” Hernández said. Today, Hernández is a jefe in the Colorado legal community, from his work as a courtroom attorney to being part of Mi Casa’s Legal Nights. His answer echoed Gaytán’s response to the same question, when she mentioned that education is especially important to immigrant families. “If I’m going to bet on anything, it’s betting on getting that diploma and the degree and whatever else you want to further yourself with because no one can take that from you,” Gaytán said. “Once you’ve earned it, that is yours.” At the event, Gaytán shared that she came to the United States as a child and lived the undocumented experience until she was 21, when she became a citizen. She has worked as a real estate agent where she helps Latinos and Spanish speakers buy homes and fight discrimination in housing. She is currently the District 2 director for Denver Public Schools Board of Education and was its first Mexican-born president.
As the election draws nearer, Coloradans have a lot of questions around voting — about how the process works, and also, what protections are there to ensure ineligible people aren’t casting ballots. It’s a perennial concern in every election, but one that has heated up this year, that somehow large numbers of non-citizens — and the dead — will manage to cast ballots. Weld County Clerk and Recorder Carly Koppes has been fielding versions of these fears since she first started working in the office in 2004. The Republican, who was first elected Clerk in 2014, is on her 6th presidential cycle. “This isn’t the first presidential election that we’ve got a lot of voters asking, ‘what about the illegals?’” she said. Despite no widespread evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election, an NPR poll shows that a majority of Americans are concerned that there will be fraud this time around, in large part due to former President Donald Trump’s false statements. A majority of respondents in that survey said they believe noncitizens will be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election. A number of audits, investigations and studies confirmed the results of the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won. The checks to ensure only eligible voters end up on the voter rolls start with the first question asked of anyone registering to vote in Colorado. “On the form it says, ‘Are you a citizen of the United State? Yes or No?” Koppes said, pointing to a printed copy of Colorado’s official voter registration form.
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From left to right: Arnulfo Hernández, Xóchitl Gáytan, Rosemary Rodriguez and Andrea Albo speak at Mi Casa Resource Center’s event “Las Jefas JACKIE RAMIREZ & Jefes,” where community leaders reflect on their life experiences and offer advice.
Mi Casa Resource Center asks four leaders tough questions • Vestas to lay off 200 employees •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
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BY JACKIE RAMIRIEZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
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On Oct. 17, those interested in community leadership joined Mi Casa Resource Center at Raices Brewery in Denver for their event, “Las Jefas & Jefes,” which was an evening of connection and learning. To Mi Casa Resource Center, this event was for community members to “ask the tough questions that Google can’t answer” when it comes to being a leader in the Latino community. “A jefa … is a female boss who lives with confidence, strength and grace,” said Virginia Garcia Pivik, who was the moderator for the panel discussion at the event. “A jefa navigates challenges with voice, makes tough decisions and empowers her team to reach their full potential… In essence, a jefa is a trailblazer who leads with integrity and vision, creating a positive and impactful environment. “A jefe takes charge and makes decisive decisions, guiding the team toward
achieving their goals. The jefe inspires trust and respect, not by imposing power but by demonstrating competence and commitment. Ultimately being a jefe is about fostering an environment where everyone grows and can succeed, driven by a clear purpose and strong leadership.” The panelists were Andrea Albo, Arnulfo Hernández, Rosemary Rodriguez and Xóchitl Gaytán. All four are community organizers who have shown inclusion, advocacy and unity throughout their work. Garcia asked the panelists what was the one thing in their life that they chose to bet on. Hernández answered that he chose to bet on education. “Education helps you find yourself and navigate your future,” he said. “It helps you overcome challenges.” Hernández was raised by parents who were entrepreneurs and grew up in the restaurant business. He shared that he wasn’t always the best student in high school, which to him meant that he didn’t have scholarships or grants to help him get through college. However, regardless of the price of education, he would do it all over again. “If it was $40,000 in debt then so be it.
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