JOIN THE COMMENT CORPS

THE CHALLENGE: The word “Latino” is increasingly tied to the rhetoric of fear. This phenomenon plays out everyday in the online message boards and blogs connected to our favorite newspapers and magazines. Dropping the word “Latino” into any news story guarantees a slew of anti-Latino rhetoric, calling for Latinos to “go home!” and warning that “Real Americans” are “taking this country back,” to borrow real examples from recent posts to online message boards.
 
THE SOLUTION:  We must empower the Latino advocate community to counterbalance this fear with positive, fact-based responses that highlight the contributions that Latinos and immigrants are making to their communities.
 
HOW YOU CAN HELP:  Share your contact information with the Comment Corps to be informed of opportunities to support Latinos online with responses to news articles and blog posts. We constantly monitor mainstream media, online message boards and blogs, and will send you an alert when your voices are needed. Corps members will receive a link to the article or blog, talking points to help craft your message, and instructions on how to post comments. You’ll write using your own words and style; your posts can be brief or long, depending on your time and interest. You can write under your own name or a screen name. We only ask that you commit to writing as your schedule permits and that you help spread the word about the Comment Corps.

Check out coverage of the Comment Corps project in the Chicago Tribune and Agencia EFE News Service.

To become a member, please complete the form below.