Saludos, amigos:
On Aug. 1, voters made history by electing the first Latina or Latino legislator to the Tennessee General Assembly.
The fast-growing Latino population now makes up 7.5% of Tennessee residents, but there has never been a lawmaker elected from the Hispanic community.
That changed now that the citizens of state House District 96 in Memphis elected Gabby Salinas to be their state representative. She competed in a five-person Democratic primary election and won nearly 44% of the ballots cast. There are no Republican or Independent opponents in the Nov. 5 general election, so Salinas is expected to join fellow Tennessee lawmakers when they convene at the Tennessee State Capitol for their session next year.
According to the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition , Salinas and her family emigrated to Memphis from Bolivia when she was 7 years old for her cancer treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital .
Salinas studied biochemistry and became a scientist. She later became involved in public life and she nearly defeated incumbent state Sen. Brian Kelsey in 2018, but came within 1,418 votes in a close contest he won 51% to 49%.
In state House District 49 in Middle Tennessee, Luis Mata won his Democratic primary and will face Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Sparks. Some of you may remember Luis as one of the Latino Tennessee Voices storytellers in 2023.
Third annual Latino Tennessee Voices Storytellers Live returns
Speaking of storytellers, the third annual show is Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.
These are our storytellers:
- Stephanie Amador, photographer for The Tennessean
- Jacob Aparicio, communications director at Tennessee Human Rights Commission
- Viridiana de León, founder of Nash Latina Bosses
- Sandra Sepúlveda, the first Latina on the Metro Council of Nashville-Davidson County
- Diego Eguiarte, founder and CEO of Nuestro Financial
Thank you to our presenting sponsor BlueCross Blue Shield of Tennessee.
Save the date (Oct. 2). Ticket link soon to come.
About tortillas ....
I have to admit I was spoiled when I visited Los Angeles in July. Whether it was at Guisados in West Hollywood or Papi's Tacos and Churros in Hollywood, the corn tortillas were warm, thick and delicious, and they would not break under the pressure of tinga, mole or carnitas with pineapple. Ever since returning to Tennessee, when I have gone to a couple of Mexican restaurants, the tortillas were oily or thin and weak. Please share with me your favorite spots for tortillas. Is there anywhere that serves them as if an Abuela just hand pressed them herself? Email me at dplazas@tennessean.com .
What else is there in the newsletter?
- Education reporter Rachel Wegner documented the growth of Latino English language learners in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Rachel has worked incredibly hard on this special report, which showcases the talent and also the challenges of overcoming language barriers. The headline "Estudiantes del futuro" was brilliant. Check out the photos by Stephanie Amador.
- My latest column is a plea to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee not to let former President Donald Trump get away with insulting him. The men had a difference of opinion on who should win a GOP primary election and after Trump's choice won, he essentially called Lee a phony Republican. Lee is all about civility, but it is not uncivil to stand up to bullies.
- Antonia Lopez finished her internship with The Tennessean last week, but she wrote a front-page story about how the largest Roman Catholic congregation in Middle Tennessee is a Spanish-speaking parish, Iglesia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Plus, you can read Antonia's Spanish-language translation too.
- Also, check out USA TODAY's Olympics coverage to keep up on the competition, the medals count and the great photos. As of deadline, the United States led with 86 medals. Several Latin American countries also won gold, silver and bronze medals: Brazil (13), Mexico (3), Chile (2), Cuba (2), Dominican Republic (2), Argentina (1) and Colombia (1).
Resources
Please send your recommendations, story ideas and events.
¡Muchas gracias!
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas .
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee state House District makes history by electing first Latina lawmaker
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