An Emmy-nominated show about Latino teens growing up in Los Angeles will tackle one important story line - the importance of voting and political and civic participation.
Voto Latino teamed up with Hulu’s original Latino series “East Los High,” which released its fourth season Friday.
A video clip shows two of the show’s characters encouraging Eddie, played by Carlito Olivero, to become a volunteer with Voto Latino. Jocelyn, played by Andrea Sixtos, tells Eddie it’s important for him to get involved “especially in this election with politicians saying hateful things about us.”
“If we don’t speak up, they win, and we stand to lose big time,” says Sofia, played by Gabrielle Walsh.
Jocelyn and Sofia also stress that even if he can’t vote, Eddie can get others to register and vote. They say there are 27 million Latinos who are eligible to vote this year and that 4 million of those will be new voters.
A recent study found that 44 percent of the eligible Latino electorate in 2016 is made up of Millennials.
Jessica Reeves, chief operating officer of Voto Latino, said in statement that her group is “proud” to work with East Los High, a show that she said “has managed to highlight issues that are greatly important to young Latinos in an entertaining and poignant way.”
“From sexual and reproductive health, to tackling our country’s unjust immigration system, and now to civic engagement during such a critical election year, East Los High and its cast have proven invaluable thought partners,” Reeves said.
Katie Elmore Mota, co-president of Wise Entertainment and executive producer of “East Los High,” said she sees television as being “one of the most far reaching mediums there is today” to tell stories. That’s why, she said, the show decided to team up with Voto Latino and “show the human side of these polarizing political issues such as immigration, the rights of undocumented people, health care and more.”
“It is time to give these stories a voice in the mainstream media,” Mota said in a statement. “We hope that the characters on East Los High will show complexity of these issues, the human lives they impact, and inspire change.”