entertainment

Yes, A Latino Freestyled At The White House With The Help Of President Obama

The White House / Facebook
By March 15, 2016 at 4:04 pm

Did you ever think you’d hear a freestyle rap session in the Rose Garden of The White House?

Screen Shot 2016-03-15 at 1.50.54 PM
Credit: The White House / Facebook

Neither did Lin-Manuel Miranda, the guy behind the award-winning Broadway show “Hamilton,” who took the White House and Capitol Hill by storm this weekend. Miranda was there to bring some much needed attention to the debt crisis in Puerto Rico. But the best part of the trip was Miranda freestyling with the help of the president. Thanks, Obama!

In case you didn’t know, “Hamilton” is THE Broadway play that has taken the country by storm.

Credit: @HamiltonMusical / Twitter

And for very good reason. It uses actors of color to portray some of our “founding fathers” and reminds the audience that they too were once immigrants trying to make it in a new land.

George Washington is portrayed by Christopher Jackson…

Credit: @HamiltonMusical / Twitter

…Daveed Diggs portrays Thomas Jefferson…

Credit: @HamiltonMusical / Twitter

…and, of course, the creator, writer and lead actor Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Alexander Hamilton.

Credit: @HamiltonMusical / Twitter

That’s right. Who says African-Americans and Latinos can’t play the roles of our founding fathers on Broadway? No one, that’s who!

They were such a hit that they were invited to the White House to meet and work with children interested in the arts for #BAM4HAM.

Credit: @HamiltonMusical / Twitter

But the trip was not just about having fun and working with children, Miranda was there for some serious business.

And, like a true Puertorriqueño, Miranda was there to represent and help his homeland as much as possible in front of the likes of Congress..

Credit: @Lin_Manuel / Twitter

“What we need is the ability to restructure and get Puerto Rico out of the hole it’s in,” Miranda told Congress, according to Bloomberg Business. “So I’m urging Congress. If Hamilton tickets will help, I’m happy to do that too.”

And despite his comfort on stage, Miranda was super nervous addressing the leaders of the country.

Credit: @Lin_Manuel / Twitter

“This is a lot more nerve-racking than a Broadway stage,” Miranda said when he approached the podium, according to Bloomberg Business.

The dopest moment of the #BAM4HAM visit was Lin-Manuel Miranda freestyling with cues from President Obama.

ImmigrantsMiranda
Credit: The White House / Facebook

It was an epic stream of consciousness as Miranda flawlessly moved from topic to topic with just one-word cue cards.

And the two joined in on a well-deserved mic drop at the end. #BestieGoals

MicDrop
Credit: The White House / Facebook

Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda slay his freestyle rap with President Obama’s help below!

Wait for it… ⬇️ #Bam4Ham

Posted by The White House on Monday, March 14, 2016

Credit: The White House / Facebook

How’s that for a kickass visit to the White House? Share this story with your friends and show just what someone can do when they get enough fame to make some change!

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Young Latinos Are Convincing Their Parents To Vote For Bernie Sanders

politics

Young Latinos Are Convincing Their Parents To Vote For Bernie Sanders

Scott Olson/Getty Images
By Fidel Martinez March 15, 2016 at 5:17 pm

We’ve written in the past about how there’s a generational divide when it comes to which Democratic candidate Latinos are supporting. The general consensus is that millennials are more likely to support Bernie Sanders and The Olds are backing Hillary Clinton. But is that changing?

It’s not just the youth feeling the Bern.

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Credit: Reddit/Imgur/Giphy

According to MSNBC, young Latinos in Illinois are successfully convincing their parents to vote for Senator Sanders. The story cites the efforts of Anahi Tapia, Brenda Rodriguez and Yesenia Mata — all three in their 20s — who set up an unofficial Bernie campaign office in West Chicago’s Little Village, one of the Windy City’s big Latino enclaves. As they spread their pro-Bernie message, the trio discovered that the older members of the community hadn’t even heard of the Vermont Senator. That doesn’t matter though, if the kids are on their side, so are the parents. The reason?

“It’s because you’re a trusted messenger, for everything — reading documents, translating, etc.,” Brenda Rodriguez said, repeating her mother’s explanation to the MSNBC reporter. Obviously, this is anecdotal, but if you’ve ever been a child who has had to be the family’s official translator because your parents didn’t speak English, you understand just how much power you yield within your family.

Bernie Sanders is winning the Latino vote in Illinois.

Credit:JamPAC, a project of Do The Right Thing/YouTube

Is it working? The latest polls point to yes. According to an NBC News/Marist/ Wall Street Journal Poll, 64 percent of Latinos are planning to vote for Sanders, more than doubling Hillary Clinton’s 30 percent.

Will it be enough though?

<> on March 14, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.
Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Sorry, Bernie, but although Chicago and the surrounding area is very much Latino (shout out to Buffalo Grove and Arlington Heights!), the rest of Illinois is not.

According to Pew Research, the Latino share of the total electorate in the Prairie State is 11 percent. Winning the Latino vote might not be enough to close Hillary’s slight advantage (FiveThirtyEight predicts that Hillary Clinton will get 51.8 percent of the vote to Sanders’s 44.1 percent). Then again, no one expected Bernie Sanders to win neighboring state Michigan.

Regardless, the biggest takeaway is this: don’t stop talking to your parents about voting. If your parents are anything like mine, they’ll be hesitant about it and say that their vote doesn’t count. Tell them they’re wrong, register them (and yourself) to vote if they haven’t, and make your voices heard.

READ: Five things you need to know about the Latino vote

Register to vote today by downloading the Latinos Vote app for iOS and Android. Our voice matters. #WeAreAmerica

Bernie Sanders, Election 2016, millennials
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