During the presidential and vice presidential debates, the Republican ticket pushed falsehoods and racist rhetoric about immigration, trumping some voters who fear change and feel cheated and ignored. I could see them taking advantage of anxiety.
I wish those people could meet William Mendoza Euseda. At 18 years old, Mendoza-Euseda was one of the youngest delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He raised $4,900 through GoFundMe to pay for the tournament. On the last day of the competition, he was kind enough to make time to be interviewed via Zoom by students from both sections of my Multimedia Reporting class. I have known this enthusiastic young man for several years. He began campaigning for Democratic candidates in Knox County at an early age, becoming Democratic precinct president at age 15 and precinct chairman at age 16. I will be 19 years old this Halloween.
“I found that there was a lack of Hispanic and Latino engagement and youth engagement in Knoxville, so I was looking for someone I could look up to, or someone who looked like me, that I could talk to. , I couldn’t find many people, so I thought, “I’m going to be that change.” I’m going to be that person,” he told his students.
This year was a year of great events for William. He started this year as a Junior Commissioner in Knox County, a program in which high school students observe commissioners and learn from their experiences. William and I both live in County Commission District 2, and our Commission Chair Courtney Durrett knew that William was the perfect young man for the position. William said he was happy to learn about all the hard work and compromises that occur after an election, especially dealing with small issues like county departments and zoning issues.
Knoxville had low Hispanic and Latino participation and no youth participation. So I was looking for someone I could look up to, or someone who looked like me, to talk to, and I couldn’t find many people, so I thought, “I’m going to be that change.” I’m going to be that person.
– William Mendoza-Euseda
William was born in Madisonville, Tennessee, but grew up in Knoxville. His family has deep roots in Honduras. In fact, my maternal cousin recently ran with my paternal uncle for re-election to the mayor’s office. His grandfather was a federal congressman in Honduras.
In this country, William’s father is a Pentecostal minister. His is a family that freely discusses politics, respects occasional differences of opinion, and considers the moral aspects of public policy choices. Like many young activists in Knox County, he speaks about the urgency of addressing climate change, while also emphasizing policies that empower the working class and protect public education.
Mr. William is particularly persuasive on the issue of immigration. He speaks passionately and rationally about the need to speed up the processing of immigration applications to reduce the pressure on illegal immigrants out of desperation during this humanitarian crisis.
Of course, this year we had the opportunity to address border issues. A bipartisan bill was put together that included many of the policies conservatives had wanted. Unfortunately, former President Donald Trump criticized the bill, Republicans withdrew their support, and the bill died.
President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, tend to talk loudly about scattered instances of immigrant crimes, but substantial research shows they are less likely to commit crimes than native-born people. I know that. Additionally, a study published by the Cato Institute shows that (contrary to Trump and Vance’s claims) the overwhelming majority of fentanyl is smuggled by and for U.S. citizens.
Even if the statistics don’t convince anti-immigrant voters, personal interactions with young people like William might make them think again. He returned from the convention, began teaching college classes at Pellissippi State Community College, and continued recruiting candidates. He is a living embodiment of how immigrants embrace the American Dream and strive to make our country a better place and a lighthouse to the world.
