✨The Bright Side✨ #6 - The Platform I Almost Didn’t Build

Why I left tech, faced my fears, and started talking about politics.

Hola!

What’s that thing Rachel Maddow says sometimes? Allow me a point of personal privilege.

If you read last week’s edition, you know that today marks 8 years since I started Tono Latino. And I realized that many of you might not know how this all began or why.

Today is a big moment for me. Never in a million years would I have predicted that I’d be running a platform that reaches tens of thousands of people with political content.

It would’ve made no sense.

I grew up in Colombia, and my least favorite class was Democracy. I went to college, became a computer engineer, and worked at Intel Corporation for nearly 12 years, writing software and doing very geeky things in a lab full of gadgets.

But then, 2016 happened.

I had left Intel the year before and was working at a small marketing agency when I started paying closer attention to what happened in that presidential election.

When I saw that in the past six general elections, including 2016, Latino voter turnout had been below 50 percent, I was shocked, frustrated, heartbroken.

We are a significant percentage of the population.

How could turnout be so low?

But the more I paid attention, the more it started to make sense. I didn’t find the one solution, but I realized something important. Very few people were actually talking to Latinos about what was happening in politics or explaining how it would affect us.

Campaigns often ignored us until right before an election, if they reached out at all.

The New York Times reported on this in 2018:

“Nationally, 55 percent of Latinos said they have not yet been contacted by a political campaign this year, whether by email, mail, phone or in person, according to a recent survey by Latino Decisions, a polling firm.”

Read the article

At first, I focused on writing a daily newsletter in Spanish. I did that for almost a year, until I met two mentors who changed everything.

The first one told me I had to start making videos because that was going to be the way forward, especially since Latinos watch more video content than any other demographic.

He was right. But I was terrified.

So he challenged me in a sneaky way.

He said I had to post a video to my Instagram by 6 p.m. that day, or I would have to donate $15 to Trump’s reelection campaign.

There was no way I was giving him a single cent.

By 5:55 p.m., I had posted two videos. I looked like a deer in headlights. You can even tell I’m reading off a post-it note. But they were up.

Even if those videos weren’t good, they’re the perfect example to show my daughter that if you keep practicing, you really do get better. 😊

📹 For your entertainment, here’s that first video from March 23, 2018:

tono.latino

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The second mentor told me something else. I needed to make more content in English and focus on topics that weren’t tied to just one news cycle.

At first, I resisted. But he was right.

Most Latino voters consume content in English, even if many of us speak Spanish at home or in our communities.

Pew Research Center confirmed this just last year:

“U.S.-born Latinos overwhelmingly prefer to get their news in English; about half of immigrant Latinos prefer it in Spanish.”

Read the Pew study

I won’t bore you with every detail of my 8-year journey. But it’s been one heck of a rollercoaster.

There were moments I questioned everything. Times when I couldn’t see how I’d ever make this sustainable. I didn’t know how to get paid to make content that informs and empowers our community. It felt overwhelming.

But the Universe didn’t let me give up.

I slowly found more mentors. People who believed in my work. People who opened doors. People who helped me grow this platform.

And, I can’t forget to mention my husband. He has been my rock through all of it. Not just my cheerleader, but my supporter in every way. He carried the financial burden while I figured out how to grow, how to reach more people, and how to connect with others who also wanted to inform and mobilize Latino voters.

You might not know this, but I’m not an extrovert. Sharing personal stories is hard for me. I get overwhelmed in social settings. Sometimes I want to hide in a closet.

But this is bigger than me.

And just like with my first video, it gets easier with time.

I’ve made mistakes. I’ve hit roadblocks. But I’ve never lost sight of my north star.

I want people to know what’s going on without living in a constant state of fear. I want to help people understand how politics affects their lives and how they can take action.

I never want to misinform or amplify harmful narratives.

So today, as I look back on these 8 years, I want to say thank you for being here.

Oh, and it’s also Star Wars Day. May the 4th be with you.

zachking

A post shared by @zachking

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This Week’s Bright Spots

A Massive Democratic Win in Iowa

Angel Ramirez (D) pulled off the biggest Democratic overperformance in any special election this year, winning Iowa’s 78th House District by a stunning 79 to 21 percent.

Kamala Harris had already won the district 66 to 33 in 2020, but Ramirez expanded that lead by 26 points.

Local Elections MATTER!

Texas conservatives who've championed book bans & anti-LGBT policies suffered big losses in school board races this weekend! Check this out by Daniel Nichanian from Bolts Magazine:

Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Mass Deportation Order

A federal judge nominated by Trump just blocked his attempt to deport Venezuelan migrants using an outdated law that had never been applied this way before.

The judge said the move went beyond presidential authority and misused the law. Deportations were already in motion when the Supreme Court paused them. Some people on those buses said they were told they were being sent to Venezuela or even a prison in El Salvador.

Columbia Student and Activist Released After ICE Arrest

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, was released this week after being detained by ICE during what was supposed to be his naturalization interview.

A federal judge ordered his release, denying the government’s request to keep him detained longer.

Mahdawi’s arrest went viral after a video showed plainclothes officers handcuffing him at the citizenship office. He is believed to be the first foreign student arrested by the Trump administration for the purpose of deportation who has now been released.

Virginia Governor’s Race Shifts to Lean Democrat

The Cook Political Report just moved Virginia’s governor’s race from Toss-Up to Lean Democrat.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and three-term U.S. Representative, is now seen as the frontrunner thanks to high Democratic enthusiasm, a favorable political climate, and strong internal polling.

If she wins, she will become Virginia’s first female governor.

Wisconsin’s 3rd District Becomes a Toss-Up

Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat, nearly unseated Republican Derrick Van Orden in 2024. She launched her 2026 campaign in March and raised $1 million in her first three weeks.

This Trump plus 7 district is now officially in the Toss-Up column.

Trump’s Attack on Law Firm Struck Down

A federal judge permanently blocked a Trump executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie.

The judge called it “an unprecedented attack” on the independence of lawyers.

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I can’t believe it’s already May. I’ve been looking forward to this month for a while because I’m heading to a conference in DC where I get to hang out with some of my favorite content creators and friends.

Do you remember when I shared that I was making a list of things to look forward to?

That conference was on my May 2025 list.

In June, I’m excited for my daughter’s piano recital. (I won’t be performing at the recital because I can’t play in front of other people, lol!)

What about you? What are you looking forward to this month? Or celebrating in your own life? I’d love to hear from you! Let me know in the comments.