Tu Voto es Poder
MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts) has assembled a team of artists, administrators, and communication specialists to launch a digital media campaign promoting voter turnout amongst voting age citizens. Using a popular Latinx Bingo-like game called Lotería, the team will invoke the likeness of iconic figures and uniquely American imagery to create original renderings for a re-imagined set of cards meant to educate and inspire the Latinx vote. MECA’s communications team will use the images to create memes, gifs, and videos, then employ a combination of platforms to circulate the generated content daily, including an original song emphasizing the importance of fulfilling our civic duty by voting. Additionally, the project will include monthly virtual game nights, featuring voting rights messaging, with gift card prizes to incentivize participation!
MECA Houston
Armando Silva is a former professional dancer & choreographer with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Currently he serves as MECA’s Arts Program Director and has worked as an arts administrator for the past 15 years including MECA, DBDT, & Voices Breaking Boundaries. Sebastian Gomez de la TorreEarned a bachelor’s degree in Illustration from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. As a graphic designer he’s worked for local non-profits & his work in freelance illustration has been featured by Houstonia Magazine, Glasstire, among others. Esmeralda Tobias Experienced Data Analyst with a demonstrated history of working in the environmental services industry. Skilled in database queries, customer service, & event planning. Strong environmental reporting professional from The University of Texas at Austin, she is the founder of LaChingaste.com, a blog for the LatinX communities of Los Angeles, Chicago & Texas. Rosa Pruneda is passionate about reaching multicultural audiences through social media & public relations. Her work aims to discover access to resources & opportunities for underrepresented individuals & communities. Vanessa Alonzo, a singer & song writer, began her training with the late Alfonso Guerra at MECA. She’s been a featured performer with ensembles throughout Houston & has performed in Ireland, Mexico, Norway, & Vietnam. Television credits include the talk show Cristina & Tengo Talento Mucho Talento. She was named the Best of Show Vocalist in Ford-Lincoln Mercury's Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza Vocal Competition in 1999.Gwendolyn Zepeda attended the University of Texas at Austin. She was the first Latina blogger & began her writing career on the Web in 1997 as one of the founding writers of entertainment site, Television Without Pity. Zepeda has published 3 critically acclaimed novels,4 award-winning children’s books, a short-story collection, & 2 books of poems. In 2013 she was named Houston’s first poet laureate, serving a 2-year term.
