America Ferrera on Why Midterms Matter

Actress and activist America Ferrera knows not everyone has the right to vote, so people who do must make their voices heard.

“For some of us, in this country, we don’t choose political lives. Our lives get deemed political before we even know what that means,” she explained. “The first time I remember even remotely being aware of anything political, I was nine years old.”

Ferrera said her parents came to the U.S. so that she and her siblings could get a great education and be whatever they wanted to be. She also said that access to a good education and the opportunity to explore her talents were both essential to her.

“I care deeply that young people in this country and around the world have that access,” she said. “It feels like there’s this influx of new, exciting, enthusiastic, voices who are stepping up to the plate and finding the courage to do so because that’s sort of what this time calls for.”

Ferrera said she’s excited for new political figures like Stacey Abrams, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Paulette Jordan, who are lending new voices and points of view to the political stratosphere. She also urges everyone who is eligible to get out and vote so that our democracy will work better for us.

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