From the fields of Fresno to the halls of Sacramento

Few people have dedicated as much of their life fighting for the rights of working people as our sister, Maria Elena Durazo, who is now serving as a state Senator in Los Angeles. As a native of the Fresno area and the daughter of immigrant farmworkers, she was exposed from a young age to the trials and tribulations that are faced by working people in this country and how hard they have to work to provide themselves and their families with a better future.

Our parents immigrated to the United States from the Mexican state of Sonora. Shortly after our father finished serving in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, he and my mother moved to the Fresno area, where they raised their 11 children. We were always moving throughout the region, from farm to farm, harvesting crops including melons, grapes and oranges. There were times when we would live out of my father’s truck, sleeping on the ground, bathing and washing our clothes in the nearby river. The hardships that farm workers faced back then as well as today were memories that Maria Elena would always carry with her, and that would continue to motivate her throughout her career dedicated to the pursuit of social justice.

We didn’t grow up with many luxuries, but the lessons we learned those years from my parents were priceless. We learned to be honest, hardworking, and to respect people regardless of their background. Even during her youth, Maria Elena was an avid scholar. She was inspired by our father’s grit and determination, and her teachers spoke highly of her to my parents. As she reached high school age, our father worked as a maintenance man for the Catholic Diocese of Fresno so Maria Elena could attend San Joaquin Memorial High School. It was here where the Catholic nuns who ran the school encouraged Maria Elena to attend college and convinced my parents to allow her to apply. Our parents agreed, and with the nuns’ help, Maria Elena received a scholarship to attend St. Mary’s College.

Maria Elena’s achievements during her career as a union organizer and labor leader speak for themselves. With her dedication and leadership, she transformed labor unions into entities that go beyond merely negotiating contracts, but that also fight for broader societal change. She pushed the American labor movement in a more progressive direction, helping to organize and empower thousands of Latino immigrant workers throughout California. She helped to organize citizenship fairs, and voter registration drives across the country to ensure that working people have a say in the political process.

Now that she has become a state Senator, our sister has entered a new stage of her career. For many years, she was a strong voice that pushed on elected leaders to do the right thing. Now, she will be working within the halls of power to help to pass laws that will continue making California a state with one of the strongest economies in the world and one that also values the contributions of working families. We are proud that Maria Elena is setting an excellent example for millions of women of color in the U.S. who are also seeking to pursue work in social justice and enter into positions of leadership. As a family, we know our parents are beaming with pride up in the heavens that their daughter, the little girl who grew up in Fresno, will now take her rightful place as a California state senator.