Don Omar is backing Vice President Kamala Harris and has officially endorsed her for presidential candidate.
On Tuesday (Oct. 29), the reggaetón superstar, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, shared a poignant message to his more than 12 million followers on Instagram. “Puerto Rico is my homeland and my identity, and today more than ever, I raise my island’s flag with pride,” the hitmaker wrote.
“Hearing such racist and disdainful words directed at my home and at Latinos is heartbreaking. Trump has shown us, time and again, what the thinks of us, and the thought of him and his administration back in power is deeply concerning. Words have weight, and as a community, we cannot tolerate language that seeks to devalue us. Latinos, both on and off our native lands, deserve respect and fair representation.”
His announcement comes just days after racist comments about Puerto Rico were made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Donald Trump rally in Madison Square Garden where he described it as a “floating island of garbage.” Since, a number of Puerto Rican artists, from Bad Bunny to Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez, have used their platforms to amplify Harris’ plan for Puerto Rico and call out Trump’s racist rhetoric.
Don Omar continues in his message: “With only one week until the election, let’s make sure our voices are heard loud and clear. This is why I’m supporting Kamala Harris. I trust she represents the respect and change our communities need and I believe she can pave a new path forward — one that uplifts, empowers and prioritizes dignity for all. It’s time to turn the page. We are not going back.”
The U.S. presidential elections will take place Tuesday, Nov. 5, although early voting is underway across multiple states. Considered one of the most consequential elections in recent memory, an estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.
Puerto Ricans cannot vote in general elections despite being U.S. citizens, but their influence is undeniable and stretches onto the mainland, particularly in swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina where hundreds of thousands of people of Puerto Rican descent live, according to numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.
See Don Omar’s message in English and Spanish below:
The post “Don Omar Endorses Kamala Harris for President: ‘We Are Not Going Back’” by Griselda Flores was published on 10/29/2024 by www.billboard.com