Katherine Archuleta

I forget that not everyone thinks just like me. I surround myself with women who care as passionately about their families, their values, and their politics as I do. I know that we share the same view of the world. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when I meet other women who don’t – but I am. Take for example the Republican National Convention. Remember that I had just finished playing a lead planning role in the Democratic National Convention and I was most proud about how the Host Committee and the City had reached to all parts of the community to engage our residents in the historic event that happened right here in Denver. Everywhere we turned our communities were eager to be part – any part – of the excitement. We built our plan on the basis of the valuable diversity we have in Denver. And they said we had the most successful political convention – ever!

Four days after the DNC, the Republic National Convention began. I tuned in the first night to see how it was going. I was curious. As the TV screens scanned the audience, I kept looking for people of color who would represent to the Republican Party the concerns and issues of the Latino or African American communities. Suddenly, I saw someone I recognized: a friend of mine, Latina, from New Mexico. I whipped out my cell phone, sent her a text message asking her to call me: I wondered where the people of color were. She called the next morning and told me that the TV scan had not misinformed me. Indeed, she said, if there were more than two dozen Latinos at the RNC, she hadn’t seen them. ”Why not?,” I asked. “Well,” she said, “it doesn’t seem like that inclusiveness is very important here.” Then I asked the most obvious question: “Then why are you there?”

Representative government is not just for few – it is meant for all. I want to be with the team that represents the diversity of opinion, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality…that are the heart and soul of America. I want to know that when I look at the leadership of the country, there will be many voices representing the great fabric of our country. I can count on that with Barack Obama.

On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised with the RNC crowd– it could mean that Latinos throughout the country know where their voices will be heard - Obamanos!