Jorge Ramos Encourages Shakira, Ricky Martin, More Latino Stars To Raise Their Voices During Presidential Race

Jorge Ramos is determined to make a difference during this Presidential campaign. The Univision journalist, who has been trying to prove that Donald Trump’s proposals don’t have reasonable fundaments behind them since he announced his candidacy last year, is calling all Latino artists to join the dialogue and encourage voters to do their part in this year’s election.

“I believe more artists must take on the responsibility of participating politically,” Ramos told Billboard during an exclusive interview. “When Shakira, Ricky Martin or Maná decide to talk, they know they can have an impact on their society. And in the film community, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro speak about politics all the time.”

The Fusion anchor added that in Mexico, where he grew up, artists, writers and musicians are constantly giving their opinions on the political process and he would like to see the same thing happening in the U.S. “I invite artists to my show every Sunday, and one of the conditions is that, while I’m happy to discuss their album or movie, they also have to talk about politics. This has led to animated conversations with Maná, Pitbull, Joan Manuel Serrat, J Balvin and Ricardo Montaner,” he continued.

Ramos believes that because of new technologies and social media, Latino celebrities can have a huge impact in a democracy, “they know whatever they say can be repeated millions of times in social media, and they’re realizing their voices are so – important they have to use them responsibly.”

Even though some people in the entertainment business have constantly expressed their discontent with some of the comments made by the candidates during this Presidential race, Ramos believes they can do more and encourages them to be more proactive on social media so Latino voices in the U.S. can be manifested in the 2016 elections results.