Mixtecos witness history in Madera with Elsa Mejía on city council

When Elsa Mejía took the oath Wednesday evening as the newest member of the Madera City Council, it was not a normal ceremony for the 33-year-old labor union communications specialist.

After taking the oath from his sister, Daisy Jiménez, and casting her first three votes (approving a cannabis business permit process, annexing a 10-acre development, and, joining an opioid settlement agreement) during a 45-minute meeting, Mejía walked outside to the parking lot where matachine dancers cracked their whips to create the sounds of firecrackers.

Mejía – who failed to win an appointment in January to fill a vacancy created when Santos García stepped into the mayor’s post – won a special election last month with more than 61% of the vote to represent central Madera District 5.

With that, she became the first Mexican indigenous representative on any city council in the United States. The news has been reported throughout Mexican media, especially in Santa María Tindú, Oaxaca where her parents were born.

Mejía is of Mixteco descent, and Oaxacans make up a sizable chunk of Madera’s 66,700 residents. More than 80% of the city is Latino.

So, does being the first Mixteca on the council put any pressure on her? Or, does it motivate her?

“I have always felt pressure because I have high expectations for people in public office,” said Mejía in Spanish. “So, I feel pressure from myself.”

Mejía, who switches easily from Spanish to English, noted the family members and supporters who packed the council chamber for her swearing-in ceremony.

“I also know there are people in my community who feel the same way,” she continued. “Part of the apathy that we have seen is because of the very thing that we have been forgotten for so long.”

Mejía, a reporter at the Madera Tribune for 10 years and later editor of the Community Alliance newspaper, acknowledged the turnout in her first remarks as a councilmember.

“I don’t want this to be the last time that we see you here,” she said. “I want your voice to always be heard because this is our city and you are more than welcome here.”

Mejía said her priority will be to focus on the needs of her district: Better jobs, support for small businesses, affordable housing, and more opportunities for youth.

“I know the needs we have in Madera,” said Mejía, who added she will represent her district first, then the Oaxaqueño community that has “been overlooked for so long.”

Mejía’s campaign, which was led by Minerva Mendoza and José Eduardo Chávez García, leaned heavily on reaching out to the Oaxacan community.

“Our parents are from the same hometown, so her being Mixteco was definitely an advantage,” said Mendoza. “People from the Mixteco community were very excited because they wanted to see someone from their community to represent them.”

Chávez García, who has Mixteco roots, joined Mejía’s campaign because he wanted the Oaxacan community to have representation.

“It is a surprise for our community to get involved politically here in the states because we come from experiences where we don’t trust politicians,” said Chávez García, outreach lead specialist for the California Redistricting Commission’s Central California Region.

“We leave México or other countries in the first place because we are marginalized. We don’t get the representation that we deserve,” he said. “That’s what surprised us here. It’s part of a new movement. It’s part of a new generation of Oaxaqueños that we are educating our community about.”

Mejía deadlocked 3-3 four times in January with Matilda Villafán when the council couldn’t decide on a District 5 appointment. Councilmember Anita Evans suggested Villafán was “more of a mother figure” who had the needed “seasoning.”

Wednesday, Evans, who became the city’s first Black vice mayor, welcomed Mejía to the council and called her “a rock star.”

“Yes, I do feel pressure, but at the same time I am inspired,” said Mejía.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 2 de diciembre de 2021, 6:47 p. m..