More than 200 Latinx celebrities, activists, and other prominent public figures—including Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Eva Longoria—joined forces to sign and publish an open letter to the Latinx community on Friday, following ongoing ICE raids, the continuing separation of families at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the recent mass shooting in El Paso.
The letter, titled "Querida Familia Latina," or "Dear Latinx Family," and written in both Spanish and English, was published in the New York Times, El Nuevo Herald, El Diario, and La Opinión on Friday, August 16. According to a press release, it was authored by actresses America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Diane Guerrero, and Olga Segura, director Alex Martinez Kondracke, and activist Mónica Ramírez. Their overall message is one of love, solidarity, and action, and they call on the public to speak up against hate, donate resources as possible to organizations that support the Latinx community, and "hold our leaders accountable."
"If you are feeling terrified, heartbroken and defeated by the barrage of attacks on our community, you are not alone," it begins. "We have been smeared by political rhetoric and murdered in violent hate crimes. We have been separated from our families and have watched our children caged. We have been targeted with mass shootings and mass ICE raids meant to terrify us, squash our hope, and break our spirits.
"But, we will not be broken. We will not be silenced. We will continue to denounce any hateful and inhumane treatment of our community," the letter continues. "We will demand dignity and justice."
The letter addresses the Latinx community directly before calling upon its allies for support. "Though real pain and fear are sweeping through our communities, we remain powerful. The indignities and cruelty we have endured will never change the truth that the contributions we make to this country are invaluable. Our humanity must be respected. And we won’t stop organizing for ourselves, our children, and for the soul of this nation.
"To our allies who feel our community’s pain, we need you. We cannot make change without your voices and action. We call on you to speak out loudly against hate, to contribute your resources to organizations that support our community, and to hold our leaders accountable."
It closes with a vision for the future: "We ask you to join us in building a better country where we are all safe and valued. May we turn this time of despair into a time of action. May our love for one another be the guiding light in these dark times."
Signatories include Rosario Dawson, Salma Hayek Pinault, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Wilmer Valderrama, Diego Luna, and Ricky Martin, as well as activists Dolores Huerta and Teresa Romero.
Brooklyn 99 star Melissa Fumero also signed.
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As did Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez.
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On Friday, Ferrera also appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss why it's important to come together right now, despite what can seem like a constant barrage of terrible news.
"It is so easy to be overwhelmed with the bad news, to be so heartbroken, so devastated, and even numbed to what is happening to human beings in our country at this moment, that it paralyzes us," she said. "And we can't be paralyzed. We have to fight through that, and we have to continue to show up because it matters when we show up."
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She also posted the full text of the letter to her Instagram:
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To learn more about the Querida Familia effort, visit queridafamilialetter.org.
