Mexican rock group Maná and its frontman, Fher Olvera, are deeply concerned about what the 2016 presidential election could mean for Latinos.
“We see thousands and millions of people in trouble, millions of people who they want to deport for working, for doing the jobs in the United States that are harder and more complicated and tougher,” Olvera told The Huffington Post in a phone conversation from the band’s headquarters in Guadalajara, Mexico. "And you can’t do that to people who are putting the bread on the table, you can’t do that.”
Olvera, 56, and the Grammy award-winning band have spent several years advocating for fair immigration reform and the singer says their political presence in the United States has always been driven by the group’s humanitarian concerns. Still, they endorsed President Barack Obama when he sought re-election in 2012 and have continued to support his administration over the years, even recently performing at the White House to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Maná hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate in this election, but it has taken a clear stance against GOP candidate Donald Trump. In November, the group joined fellow Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte on the stage at the Latin Grammy Awards holding a “Don’t Vote For Racists” sign.
Trump is the biggest threat to the Latino community regardless of immigration status, according to Olvera. And the singer has a message for Latinos thinking about not casting their ballot this November.
“‘You have to get your act together,’ that’s the message,” he said. “Because Trump isn’t just against undocumented immigrants, he’s against the entire community. [He’s against] anyone who has the name Castro, Gonzalez, Perez; anyone whose physical appearance includes skin that’s a little darker or tan. He doesn’t like it. And those are things that are going to complicate everyone’s life.”
For Olvera, Trump’s lack of political experience isn’t even what’s most concerning to him. “A guy who does reality shows can’t lead a country, much less the most powerful country in the world,” he said. Even worse, he adds, is the hate the Republican candidate has been spewing during his campaign.
“I think you have to be very blind to not realize the undertone of his message,” he said. “For me, from my perspective, Trump is a racist person. If he’s started to speak well of Latinos it’s because he needs their vote. But I think that Latinos aren’t stupid. I think Latinos are reading between the lines and understanding that he doesn’t like Latinos and that he wants white supremacy.”
Olvera went as far as to compare Trump to Hitler, something several pundits and figures have done over the course of the GOP candidate’s presidential campaign. In the past, Trump has responded by calling such comparisons "ridiculous."
“Trump is creating racism not seen since Hitler,” he added. “He’s making white people see us [Latinos] in a negative light, because they’ve started seeing us negatively. When you talk to them in Spanish or in broken English, like mine, they don’t look at you the same.”
But Maná is doing a lot more than just talking about the importance of the Latino vote in this election. In February, the band announced they would be collaborating with Voto Latino and other grassroots advocacy groups to launch the Latino Power Tour, a national concert tour focused on inspiring the Latino community to register and vote. The tour will kick off on Sept. 9, in San Diego and currently includes 17 cities across the United States.
“Latinos can move presidents now,” Olvera told HuffPost. “They can make the difference in the United States, and they have to take advantage of that because the vote of a Latino who sweeps the park, a very honorable job I might add, and the vote of a senator is the same. It has the same weight and the same value, so it’s important to go out and vote so the most human political party, the one with the best conditions and the one that is willing to push for fair immigration reform [will be elected].”
Ultimately, Olvera says the power is in the hands of the people.
“[In Mexico], we are always complaining about the government, that it’s bad and that the president is this and that, but it’s our fault... we elected him,” he said, emphasizing that the same holds true in the United States. “Latinos have to seriously get their act together and not be lazy and go vote, because you’re the architect of your own destiny and every country, every nation has the leaders it deserves.”
Before You Go
