From Sept. 15- Oct. 15, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to honor and uplift the vibrant cultures, resilience, and invaluable contributions of our Latino sisters and brothers. But this year, as we come together in pride and celebration, we also face a sobering truth: the same communities we celebrate are under siege.
In Chicago, an overnight ICE raid turned an apartment complex into something out of a war movie. Doors were kicked in, families were dragged into the street, and terrified children watched their parents handcuffed and detained under the glare of spotlights and circling helicopters. Residents reported seeing a Black Hawk helicopter overhead, armored vehicles in the parking lot, and federal agents filling the hallways. The so-called justification? A mission to “clean up crime.” The reality? A show of force meant to intimidate, traumatize, and send a message.
This was not an isolated act — it was an orchestrated attack, ordered by the convicted felon currently occupying the White House, who has once again turned the machinery of government against its own people. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the raid, calling it “an unconscionable violation of due process and human dignity.” He made it clear that these were not criminals being rounded up, but families — many of them U.S. citizens — targeted because of who they are and where they live.
What is happening to our country? When did “law and order” become a weapon of terror? When did we decide that human rights are optional and democracy is negotiable? Every time we allow this kind of violence to go unchecked, we lose a piece of our moral fabric — and the promise of America grows dimmer.
This administration has made it clear that it does not believe in equality, fairness, or justice. It has waged an all-out assault on workers, women, immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, and anyone who dares to challenge its cruelty. Programs that lift families out of poverty are being gutted. Funds for healthcare, housing, and education are being slashed. Even in New York, we’ve seen threats to strip billions in infrastructure and homeland security funding — only reversed after an outcry from officials and advocates who refused to stay silent.
While the rich and powerful get new tax breaks, working people — the backbone of this nation — are once again being told to do more with less. The so-called “Big Ugly Budget” benefits the billionaire class and punishes everyone else. It’s a reverse Robin Hood operation — stealing from the public good to pad the pockets of the ultra-wealthy. It’s class warfare, plain and simple.
But there’s another layer to this story — one that particularly targets women and women of color. We are seeing renewed efforts to roll back reproductive rights, to criminalize healthcare decisions, and to silence women’s voices in workplaces and government. The same forces attacking immigrants and unions are the ones trying to push women back decades. We will not go quietly. We have come too far to turn back now.
Let’s also be clear: this isn’t just about politics — it’s about power. The far-right knows that when working people, especially Black and Brown women, come together and vote, we change the outcome. That’s why they are redrawing maps, closing polling places, and spreading lies about election integrity. They’re afraid — because they know our power is real.
We’ve seen what solidarity can do. We saw it when workers at Starbucks and Amazon organized against impossible odds. We saw it when educators, nurses, and transit workers took to the streets to demand fair contracts. We see it every day in our own union — when our members stand up, speak out, and refuse to be silenced. That’s the labor movement at its best — people rising together, across race and gender and zip code, to demand justice.
So what do we do now? We fight smarter. We organize harder. We show up in every space where decisions are being made — from City Hall to the school board to the ballot box. We talk to our families, our neighbors, and our coworkers about what’s at stake. We remind them that democracy only works if we do.
When Election Day comes, we flood the polls. We vote for our values — for equality, for fairness, for workers’ rights, for democracy. We vote against hate, against greed, and against the destruction of everything we’ve built.
Because this fight is not just about one election. It’s about the soul of this nation — about what kind of country we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.
CWA Local 1180 has always been on the front lines of progress. We’ve fought for pay equity, for civil rights, for women’s rights, and for respect in the workplace. We’ve never backed down — and we’re not about to start now.
I’m asking each and every one of you: get involved. Attend rallies. Join our committees. Talk to your coworkers about what’s at stake. Speak truth to power. Because our silence only empowers those who seek to destroy us.
We are stronger than their hate. We are louder than their lies. We are more united than their division.
And when we fight — we win.