“¡Sí, se puede!” the iconic phrase made popular by the late César Chávez resonated throughout the hallways of the Nevada legislature nearly two weeks ago when 300-or so Latinos from across the Silver State gathered to speak with Senate and Assembly members during the Latino Lobby Day event. 

The biannual meetup allowed community members to speak directly with state representatives to voice their opinions on proposed bills, many of which during this legislative session, affect the Latino community. Jafeth Sanchez, director of the Latino Research Center at the University of Nevada, Reno hoped people learned about how to access lawmakers during in the law-making process.

“The biggest part to me is to have others recognize that they have access to this location and opportunity to bring their voice to others and share their experiences with others and know that everybody can be involved and is always welcomed,” Dr. Sanchez said.

Additionally, participants of the event were invited to the legislative floor to experience a live senate hearing. Las Vegas local Claudia Rey expressed appreciation for learning about how the legislative process worked. 

“I even texted my children and I was like, I really want you guys to attend this. I think it’d be really eye-opening for my children,” Rey said. 

Co-chair of the Nevada Latino Stakeholder Council, Leslie Mix added, “I am so glad to see the age range of people that are here.”

“We got younger students; we got university students; we got high school students; we got older people and younger people,” Mix said. “Everyone is participating in the legislative process.” She hopes that this event allows them to continuously be involved in Nevada’s law making process.

While others were focused on the optimistic outcomes of the day, Tu Casa Latina‘s non-profit director, Sandra Quiroz, highlighted the fears of the stressed community members and the importance of representation in the halls of government.

 “I come to these events to support the community and also to encourage those who I have spoken with who are afraid that it’s a federal building [or] that they’re too old to attend these events,” Quiroz said. “I try to lead by example to say that I was there, that you can do it with me. It’s just a matter of helping each other, lifting each other up so that we can move forward … If we don’t come together then we fall apart.”

To get in touch with your representatives, navigate to Who’s My Legislator / What’s My District on the Nevada legislature website.