The country will watch Latinos today, said the national chairman of Lambda Theta Phi, a Latin fraternity on campus.

In a speech titled “Su voto es su voz,” or your vote is your voice in Spanish, Agustin Garcia, a nationally-known civil activist, said the Latino vote is important not only to America’s future but also to the future of the Latino culture during a speech in the Brown-Lupton Student Center Lounge on Monday.

“Tomorrow you’re not voting for Hillary or Obama,” he said. “You’re voting for your culture.

“When they realize we’re so active and so many, then they figure out they want the Latino vote.”

Lambda Theta Phi President Freddy Williams said though the fraternity does not endorse any candidate, Hillary Clinton’s campaign sponsored Garcia’s visit. Garcia wore a Clinton pin and made some references to his endorsement.

Garcia founded Lambda Theta Phi Fraternidad Latina Inc., the first nationally recognized Latin fraternity in the nation, in 1975 at Kean University in Union, New Jersey.

He encouraged Latino voters to make educated decisions and compared Obama’s oratorical appeal to Clinton’s experience in the political realm.

“You are too intelligent to waste yourself on a fad,” he said.

Although he rarely mentioned Clinton by name, he referred to her capability to make real changes. He encouraged his audience to vote for who is convenient for their families, for what empowers them and said Clinton was the best for the job.

Garcia urged Latino voters to make decisions based on what is good for their culture.

He said his audience was there Monday because someone sent them there to fulfill the American dream. He said Latino students should remember where they came from.

“Remember the humility of your grandfather scrubbing someone’s toilet – your mother scrubbing floors,” he said. “We don’t have to take it anymore. We’ve cleaned so much shit in history, we don’t have to take shit now.”

Garcia called the border fence “ridiculous” and said a wall is not necessary when technology is available to protect the border in other ways.

He asked, “In reality, isn’t a wall just a mentality to reinforce racism?

“We’re not looking for a Band-Aid. We’re looking for a solution.”

Garcia said the campaigns are making so many promises in Texas because Latinos vote as a bloc. He called the Latino vote the “family vote.”

He urged his audience to participate in today’s primaries and caucuses and said they have the chance to vote twice.

Denise Marin, a junior education major, said Garcia’s message was powerful and passionate.

“Within our culture, that passion reaches us more than anything,” she said.

Information from the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank”, says in Texas, Latinos make up 36 percent of the total population and 25 percent of the eligible electorate. Information from the research center indicated Hispanic voters could account for a third or more of the turnout in the Democratic primary.

Both Clinton and Obama have campaigned in smaller border communities and large urban areas attempting to appeal to Latino voters and some campaign ads have appeared in Spanish.

Tracking data from a Gallup Poll suggests Clinton’s support among Hispanics may be eroding. In data collected at the beginning of February, Clinton led Obama by nearly 2 to 1 among Hispanic Democratic voters. However, in the most recent polling from Feb. 13-17, the two are essentially tied among this constituency.

Garcia has organized over 150 political campaigns in the U.S. and Latin America. He is recognized as a human rights activist, civil rights activist and international businessman. He recently worked as an youth organizer for demonstrations against Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

He said young people must get involved in the political process.

“You have to be involved simply to keep them from controlling you,” he said.