Hispanic Outreach Paying Dividends in Texas

By: State: Texas

When mature voters in the heavily Hispanic border town of Eagle Pass recently lined up to test drive voting machines, there was a twinkle in their eyes. The machines have been used since 2005, but AARP was the first to educate voters about them when it brought its colorful voter education van into the South Texas towns of Uvalde, Del Río and Eagle Pass.

AARP Texas is taking Hispanic outreach to new levels, buoyed by the state's national lead in the raw growth of new Hispanic residents. Thirty-six percent of the Texas population is Hispanic, and by the year 2040, 53% of Texans will be.

"We're committed to integrating Hispanic outreach into everything we do—advocacy, outreach and communications," said AARP Texas State Director Bob Jackson. "Hispanics are key to our growth, and it's essential that our state plan reflect their increasingly important role."

The Divided We Fail campaign and Social Impact Agenda are being used to recruit and retain Hispanic members and bilingual volunteers. This summer, AARP Texas "blitzed" the largely Hispanic cities of Corpus Christi and San Antonio. The Corpus Christi blitz, loaded with activities to promote health care and financial security discussions, kicked off with a DWF essay and story collection contest for local public high school students, an intergenerational effort that broadens AARP's Hispanic outreach.

The San Antonio blitz was highlighted by a DWF town hall meeting with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), whose history and current president have Texas roots. AARP also co-sponsored a well-attended Hispanic Women's Health conference. Meanwhile, the Texas office continues to cement ties with the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund, headquartered in San Antonio, and has partnered on voter education with Southwest Key Programs, an Austin-based nonprofit operating in seven states which serves Hispanic youth.

In El Paso, AARP Texas aided the "Don't Borrow Trouble" predatory lending campaign, reaching vulnerable low-income Hispanics communities. In Houston, the nation's fourth largest city with a Hispanic population of 37.4%, AARP hosted summer DWF breakout sessions at the annual Texas Hispanic Women's Network convention. In Dallas, the country's ninth largest city, with a Hispanic population of 43.1% percent, AARP sponsored the Tejano National Music Convention in August, collecting over 400 DWF pledges.