AUSTIN, TX – On July 19, a group of 15 teenage girls, dressed in brightly colored gowns, stood in front of the Texas State Capitol to participate in one of Latin American culture’s most cherished traditions: the quinceañera.
But this quinceañera was more than simply a coming-of-age celebration. Instead, it was a public protest against one of the most viciously anti-immigrant pieces of legislation in Texas’ recent history: SB 4, the “sanctuary cities bill.”
“For us, it’s not just this one day of action to celebrate our culture and community, to answer hate with love and pride,” Jolt founder and executive director Cristina Tzintzún explained to me over the phone to Portside. She continued: “It’s also really the launching of a long-term movement to build power for the Latino community, to win our community the respect and dignity that we deserve.
