--- title: Democratic Convention: Speakers Use Spanish description: A half-dozen people on stage in Philadelphia on the opening night of the convention Monday added a phrase in Spanish to their remarks to help highlight the party's differences. canonical: https://time.com/4423111/democratic-convention-spanish-speakers/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-26T01:51:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:59:41.780Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democrats Had Some Palabras for Voters at the Convention og:description: Beyond "Sí, se puede." og:url: https://time.com/4423111/democratic-convention-spanish-speakers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f27efd8ca4aa8c4/69889f318e0601ca9a466dde/hillary-clinton-dnc-democratic-national-convention-20.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4514 og:image:height: 2539 og:image:alt: Democratic National Convention: Day One og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democrats Had Some Palabras for Voters at the Convention twitter:description: Beyond "Sí, se puede." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f27efd8ca4aa8c4/69889f318e0601ca9a466dde/hillary-clinton-dnc-democratic-national-convention-20.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democrats Had Some _Palabras_ for Voters at the Convention > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 26, 2016 1:51 AM UTC  Karla Ortiz, 11, and her mother, Francisca Ortiz, walk out on stage to deliver remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia. Karla Ortiz, 11, and her mother, Francisca Ortiz, walk out on stage to deliver remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia. Alex Wong—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 26, 2016 1:51 AM UTC Speakers at the Democratic national convention had some words for undecided voters—in Spanish. A half-dozen people on stage in Philadelphia on the opening night of the convention Monday added a phrase in Spanish to their remarks to help highlight the party’s differences with Republican nominee Donald Trump. They won’t be the only ones either, as both speakers and the crowd favored the phrase “Sí, se puede”—roughly equivalent to President Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes, We Can”—and vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine also speaks Spanish. Here are some of the things that were said on stage.  11-year-old Karla Ortiz, left, and her mother Francisca Ortiz speak during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016. J. Scott Applewhite—AP **Karla and Francisca Ortiz** Ten-year-old Karla spoke about her fears about her parents, who are undocumented citizens, being deported with phrases in Spanish sprinkled in. She and her mother both addressed the crowd in Spanish at the end: “The immigration system needs to be better so that families can be together and reach the American dream,” Francisca, Karla’s mother, said.  Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) waves after speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016. Gary Cameron—Reuters **Luis Gutierrez:** The Illinois congressman ended on a note whose tone did not need any translation: “Together with Hillary Clinton, we’ll make this nation greater, better and stronger,” he said in Spanish after critiquing Republican nominee Donald Trump’s policies.  Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, delivers remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia. Alex Wong—Getty Images **Lily Eskelsen Garcia:** The national education association president opened her speech about immigration with a quick line in Spanish, saluting to Spanish-speakers by wishing them a good afternoon.  U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) (R) and her sister and fellow Rep. Loretta join hands onstage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016. Mike Segar—Reuters **Linda Sanchez:** The California congresswoman told the story of her parents moving from Mexico. “Hillary has always supported us, and she needs us. We need to back her and vote in the November elections,” Sanchez said in Spanish.  Immigration advocate Astrid Silva, organizing director at \[f500link\]Progressive\[/f500link\] Leadership Alliance of Nevada, speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016. Mike Segar—Reuters **Astrid Silva:** This DREAMer spoke after a montage of Trump making statements that have been criticized for being culturally insensitive. 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