‘Don’t Vote For Racists,’ a refrain at the 2015 Latin Grammys
Fher Olvera of Mana holds a sign reading "Latinos united don't vote for the racists!" after he performed "Somos Mas Americanos" with Los Tigre del Norte's Jorge Hernandez (C) and Hernan Hernandez (L) during the 2015 Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada November 19, 2015.
At the 16th annual Latin Grammys in Las Vegas last night, a song about political empowerment stole the spotlight.
An early commercial break featuring the Spanish language version of this spot by SEIU-COPE, rallied Latino viewers against 'anti-immigrant' politicians. The ad featured Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush.
"Their messages are all the same," warned the ad. "No to DAPA. No to DACA. No to immigrant families. Now it's time for our community to say no. We will not accept hate. We will not allow anti-immigrant attacks. We will not support the status quo."
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Soon after, Mexican rock legend Maná won the award for best pop-rock album. As he accepted on stage, lead singer Fher Olvera — who has likened Donald Trump to Hitler in the past — took the opportunity to remind the millions of live viewers that the US is home to the second-largest Spanish speaking population in the world — led only by Mexico.
"This means that we must exercise our power and our right to vote," he said. "Register and vote for the best candidate. The candidate who gives Latinos the best opportunities."
Later, after a joint performance of the activist immigrant anthem "Somos Más Americanos" with outspoken godfathers of Norteño music Los Tigres Del Norte, the two groups unraveled a sign on the Grammys stage that read 'LATINOS UNITED DON'T VOTE FOR THE RACISTS.'
The gesture was the unofficial kick-off of Voto Latino's voter registry campaign, which borrows its title from the aforementioned song.
The #SomosMas hashtag soon flooded the web.
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