Cristian Zapata

Disclaimer: All information about this candiate was directly obtained from their website and/or social media account. The feature of this candidate in our election guide does not equal an endorsement. CAIR Oklahoma is a registered 501c3 organization and non-partisan.

Candidate Details

OK House District: HD 89

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website:

https://votazapata.com

Email:

cristian@zapata365.com

Phone:

(405) 259-2844

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/VotaZapata1/

Biography

“What good shall I do this day?” That’s been my motto everyday. Raised all my life in District 89 I’ve seen the hardships that my community faces every time a anti-immigration, anti-education and “hard on crime” policy is enacted. It only continues to drive fears and distrust in the government and isolate us from one another. My community deserves better, it has been kicked down and scapegoated for too long. I’ve seen the lengths that my community will go to to achieve a better life for themselves and their family., whether is working multiple jobs, driving out of their way to give their children a better education, or traveling long distances for work. It’s enraging to know that all my people ask for is the ability to work, take their children to school, and be at home in peace, but those in power are cruel and will go to lengths to dehumanize us and make life increasingly more difficult. It’s time we had a leader who will do the right thing and speak out and fear no man.

Platform Issues

Quality Education

The truth is undeniable, Oklahoma Leadership had failed our youth. In the past ten years it has severely underfunded our schools and left an entire generation lagging behind. Even more so in marginalized communities. It is time Oklahoman’s get the education, teachers, and learning facilities it deserves. We fight for: Teacher salary increase, increase funding to update and repair schools, increase funding for special programs, ensure that every child feels safe, stopping all attempts to privatize education, and to change the way schools are funded.

Immigration Rights

Immigration Rights are human rights. Under Donald Trumps administration we are living through the most anti-immigration administration in modern U.S. history. All forms of immigration are under attack. At every level of government there are people openly working to make immigrants feel intimidated and prosecuted by the government. This division has lead to immigrant communities having higher rates of unreported crime and gross abuse by those with power. Immigrants for too long have been blamed for failures in budgets, healthcare, and employment rates. It is truly disgusting that our elected leaders have scapegoated one of the most vulnerable members of our society for their failures. It is time for those of us with the ability to stand up to those in power, do so. All though most legislation on immigration is taken care of at the federal level there are still many things We can fight for at the state level: allow undocumented oklahoamn's to drive legally, no local or state law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration departments, no detaining of anyone at the city and county level under the authority of ICE, and organize and prepare to fight any actions that are meant to intimidate immigrant communities.

Criminal Justice Reform

The Oklahoma Justice system is by far one of the worst in the nation, its incarceration rates are 55% higher than the national average, making it the highest in the world overall, and it incarcerates a disproportionate amount of people of color, almost 400% more in some cases. This mass disenfranchisement of people of color has severely limited our voice in the political processes and the ability to build generational wealth. Privately owned prisons have also been a huge determent to our society with violent crime being less common every year, these prisons are under obligation from leech shareholders to remain at full capacity leading to pressure on judges to hand out harsher sentences and keep mandatory minimums. Our fight for a better life for many disenfranchised individuals starts with: end mass incarceration, abolish private prisons, end minimum sentencing, let prisoners vote, end the use of capital punishment, legalize marijuana, and police reform.

Worker Rights

Unions once the corner stone and pride of the working class has been weakened over the decades. They have become increasingly important and necessary in recent years as the inequality gap continues to grow. Unions bring practical improvements such as higher wages, health and safety protections, and protects workers against both the abuse of their bosses and the general exploitation. Unions empower the individuals who build them, encouraging their sense of community and their ability to work for social change. They teach the basic democratic lesson that people can change the world around you as well as your working conditions. This empowerment can lead workers to advocate and act for broader social and economic justice, beyond their own lives. At a time when many undocumented immigrants work in the expanding ""informal economy"" without benefits or a living wage. They constitute a huge and mostly hidden labor market. They have also been abused by those in power for too long. It is time for a revitalization of the poor workers union that fights for: promoting union membership, ending at-will employment, ending right-to-work, a living wage, more protections to prevent stolen wages, increased oversight from agencies to protect workers, more support for local businesses.

Women's Rights

Under Donald Trump’s administration women have been a constant target of his harassment. From his disgusting rhetoric to his legislative actions this has been one of the most misogynist administrations in U.S. history. It is more important than ever that we address the discrimination, pay inequality and workplace harassment that women must face and fight on a daily basis. We must fight to ensure that they have the same opportunities to pursue higher education and a career as their male counterpart. We must fight to increase protections from the sexual and domestic violence that 1 in 3 women experience. We must fight to ensure that women have the right to reproductive healthcare and control over their bodies. We must fight until women are given equal opportunities and independence: ensrue that Oklahoma remain's pro-choice, ensure and guarantee access to family planning services, equal pay for equal work, ensure paid maternity and paternity leave, ensure afforadable housing, promote a full spectrum of career opportunities, provide protections and support for victims of abuse.

LGBTQIA+ Equality

Discrimination at all levels impacts queer and trans people from an early age. LGBTQIA+ youth, rates of homelessness, incarceration, and substance abuse are all disproportionately high. We must do more to end intolerance and bigotry throughout our state: programs that teach inclusiveness and curb bullying, combat youth homelessness, fight any bills that discriminates against and criminalizes, medical treatment of LGBTQ individuals, state wide ban on conversion therapies, be ready to organize and fight for one of the most vulnerable communities in the state.