The rising plume of black smoke and the smell of chiles and meat roasting on Que Suave Taco Shop’s charcoal grill catch the attention of people passing by and signal to guests that they have arrived for the “Cruise to the Polls” event.
Less than two weeks before the general elections in the United States, the Arizona Student Association and Que Suave Taco Shop in Sur Phoenix held the Party at the Polls, a series of events organized by When We All Vote, an initiative national nonpartisan founded by Michelle Obama with the goal of increasing voter participation to close the racial and age gap.
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As he cut slices of carne asada and tossed them on the grill, Abraham Calvillo, the owner of Que Suave Taco Shop, said his event was an elevated “get out to vote” because guests not only received information about their ballot, but also They received a plate of roast meat.
Arizona Democratic state Rep. Cesar Aguilar, a Phoenix native, said it was about putting together a nonpartisan event aimed at helping people understand what’s on the ballot, which is two pages front and back. reverse.
Recognition of poorly represented communities
As the DJ played funk beats, Jacob Carranza, the owner of the 1984 Monte Carlo lowrider, said events like this help advocate for the lowrider community because they help eliminate negative stereotypes of the lowrider community.
“We are not bad people. We are not drug dealers or gang members. We may look like that, but we have respect; we have manners. We are all equal. We have families. We all take care of each other. We are one big united family,” Carranza said.
The event had special meaning for Aguilar, who has worked in south Phoenix since 2016, where his family resides.
Before the lowriders arrived, Aguilar said that in the years he worked as an organizer in south Phoenix, he never saw an event like this.
“This year, we’re starting to see U.S. presidential candidates finally come here and hold these types of events. And nonprofits are hosting these events. So it’s important because south Phoenix is finally seeing the people are coming out and wanting to talk to them,” Aguilar said.
Contact reporter David Ulloa Jr. by email david.ulloa@gannett.com.
