From the editor...

tracy L. barnett

END THE SILENCE
To those of you in the growing international and multicultural community of Missouri, the time for silence must end. Politicians need to know that the Latino vote counts in Missouri. They need to know that the face of our nation is changing, and that public policy must change with it.

Urgent matters of importance that will affect the lives of you and your children are being decided at this moment, and your voice must be heard.
Decisions on civil rights, on the education of our children, on whether this nation will enter an enormously costly war of dubious wisdom are being made by representatives who may or may not be representing your wishes. They need to know how you feel.
If you are not yet registered to vote, it’s too late to do so for this election, but it’s not too late for the next one. And it is definitely not too late to make your opinions known to those who do vote. It’s not too late to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, send an e-mail to your friends, or work on the campaign of a candidate or a public interest group whose issues you care about. Now is the time to find out what’s going on and do something about it.
If you are not yet a citizen, start the process now. It’s not hard. There are people in your community ready and willing to help.
We are blessed with the opportunity to live in a democratic country that allows for dissent and debate on issues of public importance – but democracy only works if we make it work.
“A time comes when silence is betrayal,” the Rev. Martin Luther King, a legendary leader for multiculturalism and world peace, once said.
The silence must end. Please, take a greater hand in your future – there is so much at stake.