American Values Hosts Hispanic & African American Communities For Kennedy

Event took place November 14 in Manhattan

American Values’ event, Connecting the Dots, brought Hispanic and African American Communities together in New York for a lively show of support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign. 

The overall message of the evening — growing support for the campaign among Black and Hispanic voters, who feel that they have been neglected and are worried about issues such as economics, immigration and education. 

“The two previous administrations, they have kept us, the Latino community, behind,” said one of the guests, Jaime Santana Paez. He and his wife have strong faith in Kennedy because of his family history. “The Kennedys have always been with the Hispanics and with the minority,” continued Alma Santana. 

Alma and Jaime Santana

Among the speakers was Kevin D. Jenkins, the CEO of Urban Global Health Alliance. He talked about Kennedy’s ability to bring the communities together. “He can fight for us every day.” Jenkins added that his community must also fight for Kennedy in order to get his message across. “We have to fight to preserve this Constitutional Republic, where we can debate, where we don't have to be censored and where we can love each other and support each other, we can be there for each other, where we can talk about what our real values are family and faith.”

Jenkins echoed sentiments expressed by American Values 2024 co-chair Tony Lyons, who addressed the non-stop media attacks against Kennedy, calling him dangerous, an anti-vaxxer, anti-Semite, or racist. “This doesn't seem like a guy who anybody in this room would love,” Lyons said. “So the question is, what if everything you've ever heard about Bobby Kennedy is a lie?”

Lyons highlighted a concerning statistic: 85 percent of young Americans no longer feel proud to be American. When an audience member asked the speakers how to engage young people with Kennedy's message in an era of disillusionment with politics, Lyons responded by pointing to a positive shift in recent polls. A New York Times/Siena College poll released a few weeks ago showcased Kennedy garnering more support from Gen Z than both President Biden and former President Trump. This suggests young people are now paying attentive to Kennedy.

Medical Freedom in the House

Two employees of New York’s Fire Department, Carin Rosado and Sophy Medina, both had their jobs terminated when they refused to take vaccines during the pandemic. Medina eventually got her job back but Rosado is still out of work. In order to return to the FDNY, she would have to sign a document stating she would not sue. She would also have to start as a new hire, losing her seniority status. 

Medina and Rosado

Medina and Rosado met when FDNY started demanding they get vaccinated or they would lose their jobs. They were in the same boat. “We didn’t want to submit to this medical tyranny. We have never had to before,” Medina told The Kennedy Beacon. 

A group of like-minded firefighters organized, went to their unions and eventually put together a large civil rights protest at the Brooklyn Bridge. Medina described first responders as the guinea pigs of COVID-19 — the first to get exposed when nobody knew what the disease was like. “And then we were pushed to the front of the line to get vaccines,” she recalled. “Some wanted them and some didn’t. First, it seemed it was going to be a choice for us but it quickly turned into us being forced.” 

Medina and Rosado, who feel like they lost precisely the type of freedom America is supposed to afford them, started Bravest for Choice. Through their organization, they met Kennedy several times and spoken with him about the problems they still face.

“He is aware of our situation and understands what we are going through, as opposed to President Biden,” Medina said.

“There is still hope with RFK,” Rosado added.

Call to Action

The evening ended with African American and Hispanic communities promising to carry Kennedy’s message to their communities.

“We accomplished a lot tonight, it was an incredibly diverse crowd.” said Lyons. 

“Tonight there was room for community,” said Candace McDonald, the CEO of AV2024. “Together the African American community and Hispanic community came together and shared their thoughts and most importantly their feelings about why RFK Jr. is the right choice for them.” 

Kevin D. Jenkins said, “American values are about faith, family and freedom, and I think that's what Bobby Kennedy stands for.” He continued, “It's about standing with a leader that stands with us. I think that tonight is just the beginning of a great relationship that he's forging with both communities.”

Jenkins believes that Kennedy’s base has always been around but now it’s becoming more visible with representatives and surrogates.  He truly believes Kennedy has a path to victory.

“If it was 20 years ago, I would have said no, because we're at a time now and I think people are tired of both parties,” he said. “Those are the globalist parties. I believe [Kennedy] represents what America wants, family values — and a purposeful America.”