Rhode Island Representative David Morales visited the University of Rhode Island on Oct. 15 to close out Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month with a discussion about his journey to politics and his campaign for mayor of Providence.
Morales spoke with URI professors Melva Treviño and Martha Elena Rojas, who also moderated the Q&A portion of the event.
Rep. Morales was born in Soledad, California, to a single mother who worked tirelessly to provide for him, according to Morales. Watching his mother struggle to provide for him shaped his politics.
“I grew up watching my mom work a multitude of minimum wage jobs,” Morales said. “Whether it was out in the agricultural fields picking grapes, whether it was working at a supermarket or a gas station, she was grinding daily.” Morales said.
Morales has co-sponsored a number of bills aimed at making life easier for low-income earners, including a 2022 bill preventing employers from taking any tips given to tipped workers by customers, according to text from the bill. In 2023, Morales co-sponsored and passed a bill that limits out-of-pocket costs for specific prescription drugs, according to the RI General Assembly.
Morales emphasized lived experience as part of his platform.
“The rule of thumb I often use whenever I vote on any piece of legislation or whenever I’m going to speak on the House floor on a budget item or a bill, I ask myself, ‘How would this have impacted a family like mine?” Morales said.
In high school, Morales joined the speech and debate club. His first debate was about the minimum wage.
“I was learning about it in real time [at debate club] and I quickly realized, wow, this is the lowest amount of money that a worker can earn on an hourly basis, and that’s determined by the government,” Morales said. “I put two and two together and quickly realized my mom earns the minimum wage.”
Morales pointed to the debate as what sparked his interest in politics. Throughout the rest of high school and college, Morales continued to be active in advocacy spaces, especially related to systemic poverty.
This has continued into his political career. In 2021, Morales co-sponsored legislation that prevented landlords from discriminating against applicants based on “lawful source of income,” according to his page on the RI General Assembly website. In 2023, Morales co-sponsored legislation eliminating rental application fees as part of a legislative package of 14 bills, according to the RI General Assembly.
Morales is also a big advocate for public libraries. Morales co-sponsored the Freedom to Read Act, which protects libraries from “partisan or doctrinal book-banning efforts” and reaffirms free speech protections for authors and publishers, according to a press release from the RI General Assembly.
“The beauty of libraries is the third space,” Morales said. “You do not have to pay to exist inside a library.”
Third spaces are free communal spaces that are accessible to everyone, according to an article from the University of Chicago English Language Institute.
Housing is also a key component of Morales’ work. Morales said that he has spoken with constituents that have been forced to look outside of Providence because of sharp rent increases.
“I think the government needs rules in place, anytime new development is being built, that there is some affordability built into it,” Morales said.
Morales ended the discussion with a commitment to maintaining affordable housing in Providence, which he hopes to continue as mayor. More information about his campaign can be found on his website.
This event was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, the Mellon Foundation Affirming Multivocal Humanities Grant, the Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month Committee, the Multicultural Student Services Center and the Women’s Center.
