Shadowing Practice: This morning’s Cafecito was all about building Latino political power in Nevada! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Welcome to our cafecito.

Congratulations on making it through another week.

Cheers to you.

This morning we have a very powerful conversation with a Latina powerhouse out of Nevada

and we're about to invite Natalia Jordan to and how she meshes together building Latino political power at the state legislature,

but also through labor organizing.

Yay.

Good morning, Natalia.

How are you?

Good morning.

I'm good.

How are you?

I'm good.

Thank you for joining us this morning.

Cheers to you.

First of all, do you have your cup of tea?

Yes, you do.

What do you have?

What are you drinking this morning?

So I have a cold brew with two pumps of sugar -free vanilla.

And that's like the usual.

I'm like, I have to have it to get the day going.

I love it.

We're going to go through a rapid fire at the end.

But I know you told me that you are a very early bird, like a 5am -er, right?

Yes.

That is impressive.

Those are goals.

And if I don't meet them, I'm going to forgive myself because that is just cheers to you.

Thank you.

Well, I was just welcoming everybody to our live, and I would love to just share with everybody

that our Latino Victory Cafecito series is to connect with people on the ground,

just like you, Natalia, and to shine light on the work that's happening across the country to build Latino political power.

And you are someone who I've been very excited to learn about.

We just recently met.

You are the executive director at the Nevada Latino Legislative caucus

but you are also the state political director of SEIU Local 1107.

Yes, that's right.

Is that how you guys say the numbers?

Okay, good, good.

But let's jump right in.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Tell us how you got involved in politics and

when you started believing that getting involved truly was building Latino political power for your own community

and for your own family yeah i love telling this story i feel like every time it feels more dramatic and creative

but i grew up in a household with guatemalan immigrants my

mom was a pastor for a church that's both quaker

and evangelical and we only speak spanish at church

so we actually never knew about politics we didn't know the president we did not know our local representatives we knew nothing.

That was like super far -fetched.

And when I was in school, I had asked one of our teachers to, you know, can we have this conversation?

What does this mean?

And he was like, go meet my friend at a coffee shop.

My mom was super strict.

So I was like, okay, I got to do this when she doesn't know.

I had gone to this coffee shop and I'd been like, I have all these great ideas, but I have no idea what to do with it.

Like, is this research?

Like, I don't know.

And this member had said, hey, why don't you go to Carson City with me, which is Nevada's capital and present a bill?

And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.

I had no idea what that meant.

That's one amazing way to get introduced.

Like, wow.

I was working at In -N -Out.

I had my whites on.

Like, I was taking calls with lobbyists during my 15 minute breaks

and I was like it's not May it's shall I could

barely read like no like it was a very different world

and I went up to Carson City the bill again they let us write it completely and

so I was like no way we're gonna see how this

goes we go to Carson I have no idea what Carson is um we present the bill

which required additional mental health training for teachers who are um

going to go into the new school year to identify a student going through a mental health crisis.

The bill required 20 hours of unpaid training.

And so all of the legislators up there were like, absolutely not.

Like, this is not happening.

This is not working.

And I was like, well, that's okay.

We'll just wait till your term limit's done.

Again, no concept of where I am, what I'm doing, how I'm saying it.

And the bill, it did die.

And you told them that.

Yeah.

You told them that, like, we're going to wait.

Yes, I was like, we'll just wait for term limits.

Like, that was the answer in my mind.

And so I had bought my first shirt from, like, Goodwill that had a button up.

Like, this was a very different experience from what I had ever been a part of.

The bill died in committee, but after the legislative session, I got a text on my way home that said,

congratulations, the Nevada Department of Education decided to do it anyway.

And I think that was a moment where - I just got chills.

I just got chills.

Oh my God.

Because that is Latino political power.

Oh my God.

I love it.

And I thought to myself, I'll never know the amount of students.

100

I'll never know who it affects.

101

I'll never know their names.

102

I'll never see their faces.

103

But they're going to have it a little bit easier than I did.

104

And I just, that moment was revolutionary for me.

105

I was like, I'm going to learn it all.

106

I'm going to go all in on this.

107

Like, this is the career congratulations like we figured it out uh and from

108

that point moving forward it was really a game of identifying

109

what every single side of politics meant whether it was comms

110

whether it was digital field campaign official side the union space the just every sector of it

111

and i am definitely in love with the process

112

and having the ability to know that you can make change

113

and that it is a right around the corner if you really want it.

114

So I think that's like the big introduction to how I came into the space.

115

I love that.

116

So I totally want to jump into Nevada politics, but before we do that, you touched on something that resonated with me

117

and I think resonates with a lot of young Latinos who

118

grew up in households where our parents are very protective of us, right?

119

That's how they show our love.

120

They're strict.

121

You said that you grew up in a strict household

122

and even going to a coffee shop for a meeting and starting your career in politics with something,

123

venturing out of that kind of strictness.

124

Could you tell me a little bit more about that?

125

How did your mom, how did your family react when you traveled to Carson?

126

What was that process like?

127

I it was a lot

128

and it was a very big transition for particularly my mom

129

my dad was always like yeah I don't know what you're

130

doing do it like go for it work hard that's all

131

he cared about uh for my mom's side we definitely had to sit down

132

and explain the impacts of what I was doing

133

why and how and both my parents are from Guatemala and

134

so they also very much explained to me hey this is

135

what happens to government officials in Guatemala that's all that's on our mind

136

when it comes to the corrupt culture that they go through

137

and that they experience political violence that's political violence yeah and

138

so it definitely was sitting down

139

and having a longer conversation of like this is who I'm

140

with this is who's around this is the phone numbers this is the address like here are the baby steps

141

that we can take to let you know

142

that we're in a different culture and also bringing them in every once in a

143

while at a very very like calm event

144

and letting them see hey this is what I did I

145

just set up this rally do you want to sit in the back

146

and just see what it is um and they would be okay with

147

that and that death

148

that little by little exposure brought them to a point where

149

they're now very proud they go with me to events they show up they help out, but it did take a lot of little by little by little exposure to say,

150

I am safe, everything's okay, and look at what we can do.

151

That's amazing.

152

That is so amazing, and it makes me so proud of you.

153

Way to go, Natalia.

154

Thank you.

155

It was a fleek.

156

And I think it really, that's what it takes to change the culture in our own families, to get more civically engaged and fully embrace our political power.

157

Just hearing you talk and in this part of the cycle that we're currently in, I'm thinking about block walkers, right?

158

I'm thinking about people who are going to literally strangers' homes.

159

They're our neighbors, but they're still strangers to us when we go block walking and the fear of it.

160

And I am a former candidate, ran for Congress twice, had a whole part of my team that was focused solely on canvassing

161

and organizing on the ground and field work like I was very adamant about

162

that being part of my campaign and the journey

163

that it took to get people to understand

164

that they can go up to someone's house knock on their door

165

and talk to them about politics but not just for them

166

but for their parents too so I've had to have conversations

167

and I remember my campaign manager had to have conversations with parents and these were young organizers who were in college.

168

Some of them were in high school too and it was

169

it's that journey that we all have to embrace no matter where we're at, no matter where we come from

170

to bring people along with us and that is the hard work

171

that we truly need to continue doing so I applaud you.

172

I'm so inspired by you already.

173

I'm like, congrats to you.

174

I didn't know you ran for Congress.

175

That's awesome.

176

Yeah, I did in South Texas in 2022, 2024.

177

It was really challenging, a huge learning curve, but also what I'm grateful for is being able to have taken

178

that work and built on it now as the senior advisor to Latino Victory in Texas specifically.

179

But I'm so grateful for this platform, the Cafecitos platform, because it has opened up the opportunity to talk to people like you.

180

Last week, I was talking to someone out in Tennessee about building Latino political power in the South.

181

And so now I want to shine a light on Nevada.

182

Tell us a little bit about the political landscape, any updates that people should be excited about that's coming out of Nevada.

183

And what should people know?

184

What should people be paying attention to?

185

Yeah, I will say first and foremost, love everything about Nevada.

186

It is such a crazy, beautiful state.

187

It genuinely is gorgeous.

188

And I think the thing that we're all most excited about is

189

that the DNC just passed the rules and bylaws at the rules

190

and bylaws committee that Nevada is going to be moved up in the calendar.

191

So we're February 1st of 2027, which means the campaign starts like today of everything going on.

192

But we're really excited to bring that spotlight.

193

Nevada is through and through working class workers all across the state.

194

Nevada is also one third Latino.

195

And the makeup of the state is the most accurate reflection of what the nation is turning out to be in general.

196

We have, funny enough, Las Vegas is called the seventh island of Hawaii.

197

We have a huge NHPI population.

198

Yeah, no, we got Hawaiian food everywhere.

199

It's amazing.

200

But that really is and goes to show the culture and not just the culture, but everybody is at work.

201

Like we are a union town.

202

We are filled with different employment sectors

203

that are the backbone of building Nevada as a state

204

that kind of started off very small and very rapidly grew over over years

205

and years and years and so I just want to keep

206

that on the forefront

207

that this makeup is probably gonna be our best determiner of how our presidential is gonna go

208

and what the state the United States is ultimately gonna look like

209

when that electoral map comes out and

210

so I am very excited to see the investment that's gonna come into the state so

211

that we can really prepare ourselves for this argument people are

212

people are at work they don't about politics we have a lot of uh night workers at the casinos

213

so they're day sleepers you can't reach them over phone you

214

can't reach them over text you're not gonna get them to answer the door

215

but at the end of the day they are gonna vote

216

so it is a true and true battleground tested state

217

and i'm really looking forward to seeing all the candidates pop up we no longer have a caucus

218

so we do have a proper primary in ballot, which we're, again, very excited to see how this all turns out.

219

What does that mean?

220

So we had a caucus before.

221

It was Senator Harry Reeds.

222

When he was majority leader, he had a big project.

223

It was like his baby.

224

And we would have people go to a physical location per precinct as delegates and vote in person.

225

So in a room, there would be your four corners you would have a candidate's name in one of those four corners

226

and you had to physically stand in the corner of the room to get

227

that vote count and you could lobby them in the moment

228

so people would be like come on this side this presidential candidate like

229

and you would have people in the moment it was like

230

an auction site it was like yes it was energy oh my god yes high energy for sure.

231

But we have a primary with ballots now.

232

So everybody in the state will receive a ballot with the presidential candidates listed on it.

233

That's what we did for the last presidential cycle as well.

234

And so it'll be a super clean

235

and easy process to have all those results in and hopefully have a very exciting night very early in the year.

236

Yeah, so Nevada's second, right, for primary going into the presidential cycle.

237

So that is really exciting.

238

Everyone tune into Nevada.

239

Pay attention now.

240

You heard it here directly from Natalia, who's working on the ground and that that makes me

241

so excited for Nevada it makes me

242

so excited for going into the next election cycle I am

243

definitely fired up for this election cycle for sure yes um

244

but I I understand that work that we do now

245

that gets done every single day is something that we could build off of.

246

And just like what you said, it has transformed in places like Nevada.

247

So you also shared that Nevada is one third Latino.

248

Tell me about campaigns.

249

Tell me about national organizations, the DNC.

250

Are they reaching Latinos in Nevada?

251

And like, how are they doing that if they are?

252

Yeah, there's been a genuine effort year after year after year where organizations have come into the state,

253

invested very heavily, and then we have seen some withdrawal.

254

Nevada has a biannual legislature, so we only meet for four months every other year, and it's the year right before campaign year.

255

So we have two super busy years and then it dies down.

256

What we have seen in the past few years is

257

that investment slowly increase and increase on those off periods so that everyone can keep that organizing model still working,

258

still going, still getting active and meeting voters.

259

And we're seeing it happen in the electorate right now.

260

So when we talk about Latino power in the state of Nevada representing the Latino caucus, we have a total of nine members right now.

261

We are projected, fingers crossed, hopefully she's very happy with this,

262

but we're projected that our next speaker will be one of our members. If elected,

263

she would be the very first Brazilian an immigrant to be

264

speaker of any house in the united states ever wow and

265

so all other eight of our members are ranking members they're

266

chairs of the committees they're chairs of the caucuses they spearhead

267

community efforts they're in the boots on the ground every single day

268

and so when we talk about

269

that it's one -fourth of the legislature both on the senate

270

and the assembly side we have one of the our former

271

members running for congress in northern nevada we have our one

272

of our current members running for lieutenant governor in nevada and

273

so when we talk about

274

that power it's a small state it is a mighty state like they punch above their weight every single chance

275

that they get and it's been really really nice to see how the state is responding

276

when it comes to the reflection of policy issues and making sure that that portion's activated,

277

making sure that all of the immigration issues are starting to become on the forefront.

278

So we have seen over the years, because of the incremental investment, which we definitely hope we can see long term for a very long time,

279

but because of the investment made already, we are seeing it dramatically turn around.

280

And so it also goes to show that a little bit of investment goes a very long way in Nevada.

281

Yeah, I love that.

282

I love that.

283

And Soy Sofia Alexis, I love it.

284

She's calling out Latino power because yes, that really does feel like Latino, Latina power.

285

And it really just from hearing you speak, I could feel the energy, I could feel the pride, the animal.

286

And what do you credit to the growth of these Latino

287

or Latina candidates and leaders in Nevada? the fact that they're running for higher office, the fact that they have support behind them.

288

And it kind of seems like y 'all have a game plan in mind that you want to accomplish.

289

Is that true?

290

Or give me a little bit of the insight.

291

Yeah.

292

So I will say the most dramatic part of Nevada is

293

that we just enacted term limits for the very first time in 2012.

294

So there's no term limits when were telling people like, ah, don't matter, you're going to be termed out.

295

Yep.

296

Oh, no, no. There was a few.

297

There was a few.

298

But I will say when that happened and the legislators termed out,

299

it was the first time we had a Brazilian in the state legislature, a Mexican, a Salvadorian.

300

It dramatically changed the legislature.

301

And I will say we capitalized off that immediately.

302

The caucus right now is celebrating its 15th year anniversary this year, our quinceanera.

303

I love telling people that.

304

But that was how recent these type of changes happen.

305

So when we talk about a sprint, it's like not a historical one.

306

This is like a sprint where we seize the opportunity that was right in front of us.

307

And priority number one was to make elected officials reflect the

308

state for who it actually is not the legislators who were there 30 40 50 years god bless them

309

and thank them for their service but there was a time that things had to change and the state

310

took it and ran with it very quickly.

311

So I do think that that now is like the motion that everyone's on.

312

Our Latino Caucus, obviously I have so much pride in them.

313

They are a powerhouse.

314

So we are actively looking at ways to support each other, elevate each other, give each other the spotlight, show up for each other.

315

And I think that that cohesiveness within the caucus is really what's pushing them to the top because they can share information.

316

They can share.

317

They can across houses because we have both Senate and Assembly.

318

They can share what's going on.

319

They can talk about it.

320

And those things make them 100 times more powerful than walking in and just not knowing.

321

Yeah, totally.

322

I get what comes to mind to me is familia.

323

Right.

324

I got your back, you got my back no matter what.

325

Even if you get knocked down, we're gonna, you know, put out a hand for you to just dust yourself off

326

and come back right back up next to us.

327

And I could just, I could feel it.

328

And I'm so excited that as soon as I jump off this live, I'm gonna go follow all Nevada legislators because this is so exciting.

329

So give us some names.

330

Like, I want to know who people are paying attention to, who could we support and uplift.

331

I know I'm not in Nevada.

332

But through Latino Victory, we support candidates across the country to build Latino political power.

333

Like that is our sole mission and it's happening in Nevada.

334

And I need to, I'm going to fander over all these people.

335

So give us some.

336

Oh, yes, please.

337

So I will start with our officers for the caucus.

338

Our chair is Assemblywoman Cecilia Gonzalez.

339

She has championed maternal health from beginning to end, revolutionized the topic.

340

She was also the first one to pass no ice in schools

341

which was a very big deal for the state we have

342

assembly member selena torres faucet she was the youngest elected at 23 years old 23 youngest in the state

343

and she will talk to you about that experience but she is

344

so good at it we have senator fabian doniate who's our

345

secretary treasurer powerhouse everybody knows him everybody loves him he is moving all the time Again,

346

the youngest senator that's in the Senate right now.

347

And then we have Assemblymember Elaine Marzola, who is right now the caucus chair.

348

So that's the position that kind of leads to speaker.

349

We have Assemblywoman Sandra Haudigie, who's running for Lieutenant Governor.

350

And then we have Senator Edgar Flores and Senator Dean O 'Neill,

351

who are championing huge issues across the state.

352

Just never, they're like fighting the big fight all the time.

353

And then we have Assemblymember Cynthia Moore.

354

She's the first Mexican -born Assemblywoman ever in the state of Nevada.

355

So she champions the issue in climate justice every day, every night.

356

And then last but not least, we have Senator Cruz Crawford, who has been an educator her entire life.

357

She's a principal right now.

358

She is a fundraising hero for the caucus.

359

And she is on the pathway to becoming our next chair.

360

We swap between houses every single year.

361

So one year goes to Assembly, one to Senate within the Latino caucus and every legislative session we vote.

362

So that's also a big portion of their highlight, their limelight, making sure that they are just additionally prepped and have so much investment around them.

363

I love it.

364

I love it.

365

I'm so excited.

366

Yes, they're stars.

367

I feel like it's like, I don't want to compare this to Game of Thrones or anything else, but I feel like the fight is there and they're ready.

368

They're ready for whatever comes at them.

369

Oh, yeah.

370

I want to choose them as my fighters.

371

So I want to give some time also to your labor organizing work.

372

How, tell me a little bit about that.

373

And then I want to talk about how you kind of bridge building power with the people in labor,

374

and also how you bridge it to the work that you do with the caucus.

375

Yeah, so when it comes to labor in Nevada, it's a labor state.

376

It is, there are labor issues that are at the forefront.

377

All of our voters are part of labor unions, both building service trades, the entire nine yards.

378

And I worked at SEIU once before

379

when I had like a very insight to what's going on in the world sort of deal.

380

But you really don't go anywhere in Nevada if you don't have labor backing you, supporting you, fighting for you, championing you.

381

And that's really big deal to me.

382

SEIU is the biggest healthcare union in the state and so that's something that I am deeply passionate about as well.

383

We have our nurses, we have our hospitals, we have CPS workers, water reclamation district, so it's truly a place where not only are you going to learn every issue,

384

but you get to use political capital to help.

385

And that was really the bridge of building, being a part of these both organizations.

386

It's not easy.

387

I am so tired every other day.

388

As it normally goes, we're Latinos, though.

389

We know what hard work means.

390

But it genuinely is something that you, when you get the opportunity to make sure the door is open in both ways with this type of conversation,

391

you get to do really good things.

392

And that has been the ultimate bridge in making sure that our members are advancing.

393

They're in the forefront of the issues.

394

They know what's going on.

395

And SEIU this past primary had four primary candidates.

396

We won all four.

397

Two of them are Latinos.

398

We'll be going up to the legislature.

399

And so in a small state like this, there is a lot more coinciding than we could actually ever

400

dream of that's an amazing win record like a hundred percent like

401

that is powerful yeah so what can what can other organizers

402

or organizations or organizing efforts learn from the labor movement i think

403

that everybody needs to learn how to have hard conversations

404

and how to show up for one another just through

405

and through and every which way That's one thing I've really learned in labor.

406

It's been that when you show up for others, others are going to tenfold show up for you.

407

And that's the part of the organizing model that you can really steer, guide, create all the way through.

408

And I love that sentiment.

409

I think, you know, society now, in my opinion, is a little bit more individualistic, which is okay.

410

We were trained and kind of born into it.

411

But bringing back that model of, yes, we are family.

412

Yes, I do show up on your bad day.

413

You'll show up on mine.

414

If I need you to help me here, I can show up for you.

415

And making that honest effort and showing up first, I think, has been the really important part of the organizing model

416

that I have learned and I've appreciated with everything inside of me, it's been a wonderful opportunity.

417

Yeah, like just being so steadfast about being a compadre or comadre and just like being like, I got you no matter what.

418

And something that I recognize in Texas, it's a bit more challenging.

419

It's a right to work state.

420

It really damages bargaining power.

421

It really, I mean, it's a Republican run state for almost my entire life for 30 plus years.

422

And sometimes people think that there isn't labor organizing in Texas.

423

And that's very wrong.

424

That's not the truth at all.

425

But what I've learned in working with labor in Texas and as a candidate and

426

just getting to know more of my community and truly understanding

427

that they are very active and very involved is that they work so hard, right?

428

They work in a different kind of way, and they have a different mentality.

429

And you touched on it.

430

It's not individualistic.

431

It's all of us.

432

And sometimes that gets attacked.

433

Sometimes that is put on an ad

434

and millions of dollars is poured into it to make it seem like it's something

435

so evil and bad and out to get you when that's not the case at all.

436

It's the power of people coming together.

437

And I think that's something we need to really champion across the map

438

because there are places like Nevada where I feel like y 'all have fully embraced it, right?

439

And are capitalizing on it to push policies and push issues forward and push solutions forward that really change people's lives.

440

And in Texas, so just last night, I was in Corpus Christi.

441

It's close to where I'm calling from and where I live in South Texas and McAllen right by the border.

442

And Corpus is one of the largest cities in the United States that's completely running out of water for people.

443

It is really challenging and people on the ground and leaders have had to become water experts overnight.

444

But what I love so much about visiting Corpus is

445

that the labor movement is so alive and they are not backing down.

446

It's a huge challenge, but they are leading in making sure that people are protected,

447

people are considered, and it's not just corporations and it's not just industry that is being prioritized,

448

especially in moments where they're losing something so critical like access to water.

449

So I'm becoming the biggest fan of Nevada in this conversation.

450

That's what I'm getting to.

451

One more question for you.

452

And I can't believe that we're already getting close to the end of our live.

453

I could talk with you for hours and just keep getting all of this energy and animal from you.

454

So I have one more question.

455

Then we have a little bit of a rapid fire.

456

So you have talked a lot about where Nevada has come from politically and the momentum it's building.

457

So what is next for Nevada?

458

Like, where does it go from here?

459

And how do people who are tuning in and watching live or the rewatch, how do we support?

460

How do we amplify and help Nevada?

461

I think the number one thing on how to help, and then I'll go back to that first one,

462

is find the local candidate that you really see as that emerging shining star.

463

Obviously, look to our members for sure in the work

464

that they're doing and invest in them directly because the state is so small like this that that power is amplified.

465

It is not just your $5, your $10, whatever the case may be.

466

They're going to see that and that is directly maybe the next coffee that they get that creates the next bill.

467

It is that quick of the transition.

468

So that's 100 % going to be the best opportunity there.

469

I think things that we see next for Nevada are just building political capital on a national level.

470

I really think that this state is a reflection of where our country is going, where we can stop things, where we can change things, where we can do things.

471

This is the testing ground and the model for what I believe is what our future is going to look like.

472

So we can decide now or we can decide later

473

when it's a little too late on what we're going to do to make sure that we get the model right.

474

We have our Latino men, we have our young population we have our worker bees we have everybody under the sun and

475

so this is the state to genuinely learn about what everything's

476

gonna look like we have no water like we're we're

477

so cooked like with the colorado river um

478

and we also are dealing with a lot of different issues

479

so we're really right now in a position where it's like action is gonna happen fast

480

and dramatic to decide what the next 10, 15 years look like.

481

Yeah, I love that.

482

I think sometimes people get discouraged from getting involved and engaged because government is slow by design.

483

But what you're saying is the opposite.

484

What you're saying is an investment of energy and money,

485

because definitely send dollars to Nevada could go a long way because it's critical to act now.

486

And that's what leaders are doing on the ground, especially the Latino Caucus, which I love it.

487

It's bold.

488

So it's exciting to see, and it definitely keeps the fuel running for a lot of us here in town to see these dramatic changes

489

that happen year to year.

490

Yeah.

491

I said that was your last question, but I have one more before we go into our lightning.

492

How are you seeing young Latinos get involved right now in Nevada?

493

I think we're still looking for ways to open the door, but we're getting a lot more organizations involved.

494

And I will say there's been a dramatic tone shift since

495

the presidential administration has been in office for the past two years.

496

I think a lot of our young Latinos were definitely focused on like, oh, look, this guy might be the one.

497

He's strong, he's fierce.

498

And I think now that two years have passed,

499

there's been a lot more compassion for our families and for our communities, for our churches.

500

All of those organizations have been touched by this administration and a lot more youth are standing up to say, no more.

501

I'm ready.

502

Like, why not?

503

We're here for it.

504

We're here for the fight.

505

Yeah.

506

So we're seeing that tone shift change in the state.

507

okay i'm happy to hear it i'm happy to hear more

508

work to be done always yes always moving in the right

509

direction i love it okay yeah are you ready are you ready i'm a libra i'm nervous

510

well you already answered the first question early

511

so what is your coffee order cold brew two pumps of

512

sugar -free vanilla okay awesome um favorite are you in las vegas is

513

that where you're calling from yes okay you're in las vegas favorite las vegas spot that is not on the strip

514

uh not on the strip this is probably a crazy answer

515

everyone about it's gonna get mad the breakfast at coffee at

516

coffee bungalow i'm a big fan now i'm curious it's like the one shop where every single candidate

517

and elected official goes because it's central but i just happen to I really like their breakfast.

518

um your favorite guatemalan dish favorite guatemalan dish has to be

519

um carnachas i feel like a lot of people don't know it but it's

520

so fresh it has everything you need in it has like

521

cabbage pickled cabbage on top the meat it's on a tostada

522

it's a little messy has egg cheese it's like the perfect

523

guatemalan dish i was like is it like a pozole when you were describing it No, it's a posada.

524

Yes.

525

It's super loaded.

526

Yeah.

527

And it's got like every food group on it.

528

Yes.

529

Basically.

530

Okay.

531

I'm going to look this up.

532

You're giving me a long list of things to look up after our conversation here, after our cafecito.

533

One word that describes Nevada's Latino community.

534

I would say resilient.

535

Resilient is the big one.

536

One Latina who inspires you.

537

I have to say, Assemblywoman Selena Torres Fawcett, I have no idea how someone could run at 23.

538

I think that's a completely different universe and just a complete rewiring.

539

So I applaud her.

540

She's the chair of education.

541

She's been doing great things.

542

So it's really been amazing to see her journey.

543

I love that.

544

So when it comes to organizing, phone banking or block walking?

545

Oh, block walking for sure.

546

Get your steps in like nice and easy.

547

Yeah.

548

Multitasking, connecting with your neighbor and also get a little fit.

549

Yes.

550

Legislative work or campaign trail?

551

oh i would have to say legislative work i think the campaign is fun

552

but the legislative is really the deliverer to a lot of these things town hall

553

or union rally union rally i think uh yeah oh for sure you're like super ramped up

554

when you have it i like i just like thinking about

555

it i'm like okay let's go i want to i want

556

to be in a place where i could like woohoo

557

and make all the noise

558

and that's the place to do it um one quality every

559

nevada political leader needs um i think it's motivation for the

560

hard days i think hard days are always going to be

561

there doesn't matter who you are where you are what you do

562

but if you have that motivation that north star you're going to be okay

563

and now finish this sentence latino political power is strength um what comes to mind for me for

564

that one is latino political powers in nevada ah yes you took it from me

565

so natalia thank you so

566

so much for spending some time with us this morning thank you for shining some light on the incredible work

567

and the building Latino political power that's happening every day in your part of the country.

568

Thank you for the work that you do.

569

And everybody who's tuning in, thank you for joining us.

570

And thank you for tuning in on what's happening in Nevada.

571

Pay attention to what's going on.

572

Pay attention to Nevada now and stay tuned.

573

Like Natalia shared with us, it's going to be a pivotal state as we get closer

574

and closer to the presidential election and course correcting where our country is headed.

575

It is very much a bellwether state, but it didn't happen overnight.

576

It took so many people.

577

It took so many hours.

578

And it takes dreamers and believers like Natalia, who truly know that it's by working together to advance things for our communities,

579

to face the challenges that are directly impacting our families.

580

Even when it comes to getting civically engaged, have those hard conversations, grab some cafecito, grab a friend and do the work.

581

So Natalia, I would love to hear where people could follow you.

582

And how do we keep in touch?

583

Yeah, feel free to follow my Instagram.

584

You'll see updates as we go.

585

It's at Miss Natalia Jordan and happy to help slide up whenever.

586

Awesome.

587

Thanks, everybody.

588

Have a great rest of your weekend.

589

Follow Latino Victory.

590

We'll see you guys next Saturday.

591

Hasta luego.

592

Thank you.

593

Bye.

594

Thank you.

✨ Recommend Video

92 sentences

AOC Speaks at March on Washington 2026

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

190 sentences

This 25-Year-Old Built a 2-Year Moat Nobody Can Bet Against | Corgi, Nico Laqua & Emily Yuan

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

424 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “This morning’s Cafecito was all about building Latino political power in Nevada! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽”. This video has 594 sentences and 6432 words to shadow. The speech runs for 39:46. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
organize verb	/ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/	To arrange in working order.
legislature noun	/ˈlɛd͡ʒɪsləˌt͡ʃʊə/	A governmental body with the power to make, amend and repeal laws.
cafecito noun		A small hot coffee drink, particularly Cuban espresso.
legislator noun	/ˈlɛd͡ʒɪˌsleɪtə/	especially a member of a legislative body.
vega noun	/ˈveɪɡə/	An open tract of ground; a plain, especially one which is moist and fertile, such as those used for growing tobacco.
forefront noun	/ˈfɔːfɹʌnt/	The leading position or edge.
shine verb	/ʃaɪn/	To emit or reflect light so as to glow.
powerhouse noun		A power station; the building housing a power station
youngest adjective	/ˈjʌŋ.ɡɪst/	Most recently begun or formed.
ballot noun	/ˈbælət/	A small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a…
genuinely adverb	/ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/	In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly.
cheers	/t͡ʃɪəz/	A common toast used when drinking in company.
embrace verb	/ɛmˈbɹes/	To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug.
reflection noun	/ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/	The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.
applaud verb	/əˈplɔd/	To express approval (of something) by clapping the hands.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
show up verb		To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.
sit down verb		To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
back down verb		To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.
back up verb		To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so.
bring back verb	/ˈbɹɪŋ bæk/	To fetch something.
call out verb		To specify, especially in detail.
come back verb		To return to a place.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

First of all, do you have your cup of tea?
What do you have?
What are you drinking this morning?
Is that how you guys say the numbers?
We'll just wait till your term limit's done.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've been · has opened · has transformed
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was focused · be moved · is called
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	someone who I · teachers who are · people who are

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 135 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: pathway /ˈpæθˌweɪ/, withdrawal /wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shine /ʃaɪn/, reflection /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/, treasurer /ˈtɹɛʒəɹə(ɹ)/, compassion /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: legislature /ˈlɛd͡ʒɪsləˌt͡ʃʊə/, legislator /ˈlɛd͡ʒɪˌsleɪtə/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, individualistic /ˌɪn.dɪˌvɪ.dʒu.əˈlɪ.stɪk/, organizer /ˈɔɹɡənaɪzɚ/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like organize, legislature, cafecito.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: This morning’s Cafecito was all about building Latino political power in Nevada! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 - Learn English Speaking with Video

AOC Speaks at March on Washington 2026

This 25-Year-Old Built a 2-Year Moat Nobody Can Bet Against | Corgi, Nico Laqua & Emily Yuan

Why Latino voters have turned on Trump | America, Actually

Lisa | Audacy Check In

Camila Cabello On Mental Health And The Importance Of Self Care

Never Struggle with Small Talk Again | Easy Tips for Better Conversations

5 Money Rules Millionaire Women Know (That You Don’t)

Dr. Jill Biden Is Busier Than Ever After the White House | Who What Wear

Zohran Mamdani on his first priorities as NYC mayor (Full video interview)

She Spoke Almost No English. Now She Runs Her Own Business in English

She learned one new skill that unlocked a $120K salary

Exposing a $300,000,000 Scam

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?