take heart
Welcome to Mommy’s El Camino.
Support
Jail Support in LA, a grassroots collective dedicated to supporting anti-oppression work in Los Angeles
Immigrant Defenders Law Center
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Thinking about every single person who was out there in the streets and who will be out there in the streets: I wish you strength and safety.
I’m the daughter of a former farmworker and a granddaughter of an L.A. garment worker who was formerly a farmworker. Both of my parents were born in Los Angeles, and we are reminded constantly now that where you were born doesn’t matter to the fascist government when it comes to their attempts at ethnic cleansing. Recently I began invoking the names of ancestors, in part to remember their names, because for so long I didn’t know the names of all my great-grandparents.
I am the daughter of Robert Ballesteros Ortiz and Dolores Ortega. I am the granddaughter of Robert Ortega and Elvira “Mary” Apodaca, and of Ramon Ortiz and Sarah Ballesteros. I am the great-granddaughter of Jose Apodaca and Guadalupe Carrasco, Jose Garcia Ortega and Eva Subia, Jose Sacramento Ortiz and Maria Delfina Castro, Heraclio Ballesteros and Ester Cerda.
I invoke their names not only to remember, but to ask for their help. They survived so much; they remind me that me and mine will survive this, too.
If you’re not in Los Angeles, I hope you’re supporting immigrants and all vulnerable populations in your community. Stay safe, and take heart where you can.