Abuelas en Acción: A Multicultural Podcast for Our Common Good
Abuelas en Acción (Grandmothers in Action) are Latinx mothers and grandmothers, Climate Comadres, who strive for a more compassionate and equitable world. Our conversations cross generations with guests, leaders in our communities, who have a passion for justice. Their stories and work all started with a vision and will infuse you with hope for your own communities. Subscribe to hear a new, 30 minute interview each week on topics– racial, social and environmental justice and physical/emotional/spiritual wellbeing–-that will touch your soul and challenge the leader in you to change the world. Hosts: Marie Dahlstrom, Dr. Rosemary Celaya-Alston and Consuelo Saragoza spent their careers promoting social justice for our common good…and will never stop! “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” Dolores Huerta
Abuelas en Acción: A Multicultural Podcast for Our Common Good
Being a Part of the Solution Gives us Hope
Yvonne Garcia, Associate Director of the ACLU of Oregon, joins us to discuss the organization’s ongoing work in partnership with community members and allied organizations to protect democracy and defend civil liberties for all Oregonians. With passion and clarity, she reflects on the challenges facing our country today and underscores the strength, power, and importance of standing together to protect our most vulnerable communities.
Welcome to Apuela Senacion, a multi-generational podcast for our common good. I'm your host, Dr. Rosemary Salaya Alston, and I'm joined today by my dear friends and co-hosts, Marie Dalström and Consuelo Zaragoza. How are you both doing today?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm I'm excited. We've been talking to our guests before the recording, Yvonne Garcia. And I I just I just have to tell our listeners, I these amazing women that we've been interviewing in our 11th season in partnership with Verde Action, I get so much hope, and I just feel so inspired by the work that they're doing. And so, yes, uh, Yvonne's gonna talk to us about the erosion of our democracy, uh, talk a little bit about the impact on our nonprofits and other members of civil society. I can't wait to jump in and hear about it.
SPEAKER_00:And I would like to add that I think just previous to starting the recording, talking about kind of the history of where um community leaders have have done impact, but now it's like passing on what continued what needs to continue to be um, I don't know if the words more aggressive or uh deeper into what's going on now. I think all these things have gone on, but now it's at a height, especially within our Latino community, and the fear of families and people being taken off the streets. Uh, you know, it's it's it's heartbreaking, and there's no other words for it. But what, you know, to hear the things that ACLU is doing and how they're responding would be great. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:As we shared in our last episode, we're so excited about our new partnership with There to The Action in Portland, Oregon. Together, we're continuing to lift our voices, our stories, remind us how deeply connected we all are, and bringing you amazing guests that are going to educate us, inspire us, and hope and move hope forward. Today we are so pleased to welcome Yvonne Garzina, Deputy Director of ACLU of Oregon. For those of you who may not be familiar with ACLU, it is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting civil rights, freedoms, like freedom of speech, the right to assemble, freedom of religion, due process, equal protection, and privacy. Yvonne is such an inspiring leader. And with her incredible team, she's making sure ACLU's mission is alive and active. She is a connector, a builder of relationships. And we are so honored to have her. Welcome, Yvonne. It's wonderful to have you today.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you so much. I am so honored to be in this space with you all today and having this conversation.
SPEAKER_02:Yvonne, we'd love to hear a little bit about your own journey. Was there a particular moment in your experience or in your journey that inspired you to do this kind of work?
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. What a lovely question. Um, well, I think that, you know, as a brown woman growing up in this country and I originally from Arizona, um the experiences of misogyny, racism, colorism, um, the injustices and oppression are seen and felt unfortunately at a young age. Um, you know, I was young in junior high when um I experienced racial slurs from other students, and um those experiences, you know, you you live with that, you carry those in different ways. Um, and so I just like unfortunately that being a root of shared experiences that many of us have had, um, especially as brown women, um, you know, those were early starts of understanding inequality, oppression. Um, and for me also, I was probably in junior high when I started to really recognize um that we have our other, you know, community members who lived on the street and did not have access to the things that were needed, basic needs. And that really um stuck with me. And at um in junior high, I started uh volunteering with social service organizations, soup kitchens, and I was inspired to focus my attention in school on social work, uh, getting my bachelor's of social work degree from Arizona State University so that I could more deeply be involved in this work, better understand the systems that are a part of um, you know, what we have to work in, and also how inequitable our systems are. It was really a learning experience. Um, but having those opportunities to really engage with a population that is often ignored, judged, um, and not given the opportunities to, again, meet their basic needs, that was really a driver for me to get into social work. Um, and my career just really sort of moved in different directions. However, at the root of it all was really working to combat injustice in different ways. I did some work after doing case management and social services. I did some environmental education, better understanding environmental justice, um, found my roots back into working a nonprofit and doing fundraising, which I learned and discovered was such a critical role for our nonprofits and how nonprofits stay afloat and create power in the community. So I'm so grateful for the work and you know, foundation of understanding fundraising as part of my journey. And then landing at the ACLU where um the lessons come hard and fast about what is happening and how we need to be responsive to the injustices that really can pile up. And in this moment in time, I'm incredibly proud to be working at an organization that not only is focused on injustice and trying to empower folks, but also being part of a team that has transformed within the organization and being a predominantly women of color-led organization. Um, I'm just so proud and sometimes still surprised at how far I've come and where I've landed. Um, but there's so much great work ahead. And again, also standing on the on the shoulders and the work of all the amazing people, uh women of color who've come before me. So um yeah, yeah, that's a little bit about it.
SPEAKER_02:Is there anyone in your life or any individuals in your life that have mentored you along the way or that you've stood on a shoulder of to be able to have this compassion that you do?
SPEAKER_03:Well, I think first and foremost, you know, I think uh immediately of um my Nana. Um she passed away a few years ago at the age of um 95, and she had a life that looks nothing like the life I'm living. Um, she had a path that was, you know, a path of getting married very young, having 13 children over her lifetime, raising a family in Mesa, Arizona. And um, you know, just again looks nothing like the life that I've lived, but what I saw and what I felt and what I was, you know, brought up around was that um survival, um, care. Um, I mean, raising uh, you know, young children, so many young children in a small house and stretching resources and continuing to be the heart and soul of a family, like of, you know, our expanded huge family now, and and really just knowing the work and the labor and the love that has created deep roots that have allowed me to grow from there. And, you know, my own mother who has just been a hard worker uh for so much of her life and really um focused her life on family and you know, taking care of my Nana as well. Um, you know, seeing that generational love and the back and forth and when we need to step up to take care of our elders. Um, I'm just so inspired by that and encouraged. I come from a family where I'm the only one who went to college who had a focus of like what knowing what I wanted to do. I come from a long line of laborers and the privilege that I have and the encouragement, um, even when it's not always really understood what I do or why I chose, you know, up certain path, um, the support and encouragement and just knowing I make my mom proud, I carry that deeply. Um, and there's just been amazing women in the community, uh, you all included. Again, the the impact that you've had. And we were talking about, you know, one of the first Latina Multnomah County commissioners, Serena Cruz, who I had the pleasure of working with, um, being connected and tied and also close to people who did the first, to people who laid down the work, who fought those early battles so that you know I was better prepared and had models that I could work from. That continues to inspire me. And, you know, looking at women, women of color uh in leadership roles has always been something that has been needed and inspired by. And I hope, I hope to be that as well. I want to be part of the fabric of this legacy that women of color, that brown women have in our communities here in Oregon and in our home places.
SPEAKER_01:You are amazing. I you know, I love hearing your story. We all do. And that the our families, I remember my mom, she used to, when she would run into somebody uh who was uh talking about my work, she'd say, Well, I don't know what Marie does, but I'm really proud of her. How many of our parents and our family members are like that? That they don't know what we do, but they are extremely proud of us. And we learned so much from them about how to thrive in this world, right?
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. It's modeling and seeing the um ability to navigate through the life and hardships, and even know, like even if they're not holding that thinking that they are um modeling that for us as we observe and impact and feel that love that carries us through through all of these things. And seeing the hard work, a woman of color, you know, women in general don't get that recognition or acknowledge of the hard work that it takes to exist, to create change, and to be in these systems that didn't really want us, um, but that we forced our way through and made and had an impact. Right.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know, and just to add a little bit to that, when you were talking about how what hard workers your Nana and your your mom were, I think we all experienced that with our with our mothers and our abuelitas, um, really hard workers to you know to get where they needed to get, how they used resources, what they did, how they did it. Um so as all of you, always thankful to my um my mom and my abuelitas about and my tias too, about um what they did and how they did it, you know, and remember the chattering they used to say, you know, to all of us. Um so so thank you for sharing that.
SPEAKER_02:I think an example of our art as women is when you have nothing in the refrigerator and yet you pull out a feast, right? There's not much there, right? But that table is full of all kinds of things. We could never create what they've done, you know, just the basics of what that takes when resources are so low.
SPEAKER_03:Right, yeah, and then they turn into those comfort meals, those meals that we go to, right? Right, those hardshit meals, you know, in those moments, but now it's like, oh, what I crave, you know, just a big plate of beans and rice with a bunch of tortilla. Like happy, that is, yeah, happiness.
SPEAKER_01:What a gift.
SPEAKER_00:What a gift for sure.
SPEAKER_01:So for listeners who might not be familiar, how would you describe what the ACLU stands for? Its mission and the spirit behind it. Please tell us about that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, thank you. So our mission um is to take action together to protect and advance our civil liberties and civil rights for a more just, equitable, and caring democracy here in Oregon. And what that looks like is our work to help build political power, um, deepen and have deep, meaningful relationships with our partners and impacted communities to do what often needs to be disrupting systems and defending against oppressive systems, and really working together to educate. A big part of it right now is dispelling misinformation, which really has such a big impact on our communities, advocacy at all levels of our government and systems, and using the courts to protect and advance our democracy, um, and being, again, in partnership with community members, community leaders, um, to focus on the advancement of our civil liberties and civil rights. Our goal continues to be to be continuously ready to defend our rights in the courts, to protect our communities through public policy and education, and ready to fight for all Oregonians' freedom to live and belong. Oregon is our home. Oregon is home to so many different um groups of people, and we want to have a state that welcomes all and allows everybody to um to thrive. And that takes um a lot, that takes many of us.
SPEAKER_01:So, what's happening on the ground now? What are you currently uh really putting a lot of energy into? I live in San Antonio and we've been hearing a lot about ICE, uh, about the National Guard, about it's just it's just heartbreaking to hear what's happening to our Latino brethren, you know, our our our familias, our comunidades all around the country. But tell us what's happening right now.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I feel that um there's just a lot of really, I guess I will call it, a lot of cruelty in this moment in time. Um and um we are actively working to defend our drama democracy um and advance equal rights for all, for all Ogonians. Defending and protecting our immigrant and refugee communities uh right now is a huge part of what is happening on the ground. We do see um ICE coming in and you know, disappearing people and pulling families apart. It's really heartbreaking that this is happening not just in our communities, but as you said, Mary, all across the country and in just really the visuals and the heartbreak that comes with that. We're also trying to protect the freedoms to read, freedom to read, you know, any book, books that are written by LGBTQ or authors of color, um, freedom to not be surveilled by our governments, especially when that we are feeling um the government overreach in so many different ways. So on the ground, you know, we are really seeing the movement of really understanding how fragile our democracy is and how it must be protected at all costs. So we have um really are inspired by so many thousands of people, you know, on a No Kings Day, coming together and peacefully protesting and and having their voices heard, being part of coalitions who are really focused on protecting our immigrant and refugee neighbors and working deeply, you know, with our um in coalition. We can't do any of this work alone. We do not do this work alone. And so organizations that um are more on the ground, you know, reporting ICE activity, verifying ICE activity is really critical. So really wanting to ensure that those organizations are also resourced and that information is getting out there because right now it can be really scary for people to leave their houses, um, which is just awful, right? We should all be able to live our lives and go to the grocery store or the bank and do the things that we need to do, as well as go to our parks, you know, go, you know, just enjoy life and the beauty that comes with it. And to see and know that so many of our neighbors aren't able or feel safe to do that, that is what we need to continue to push back because we know that all of us being active participants in our communities and in the fight to create the just organ that we want makes our states and makes our community uh not just livable, but safer, better connected and more resourced.
SPEAKER_00:You know, um, as you were talking about uh all you know the big picture, right? And the very specific boots on the ground, but what's happening across, you know, whether it's organizations, whether it's individuals, whether it's clergy, etc. Um do you do you think there's any kind of misconception about what ACLU is or does, you know, out there in the general community?
SPEAKER_03:I too. I think it's um really like a misconception, a common misconception is that we are an organization full of lawyers. Um, and you know, to be able to do the work that we're doing um in and robust and strategic and in lots of different ways, we do have amazing lawyers on staff. We also have amazing um policy and advocacy uh team members, and we have a team full of different levels of lived experience and backgrounds. So, you know, again, as Rosemary stated, I'm a social work uh, you know, uh bachelor's person. Um, I don't have a higher, you know, degree other than my bachelor's, and this is important work, and I'm welcome to contribute to the work that we do because I've bringing lived experience and professional work. And so our team is built of a mix of young people with different lived experiences and identities that are critical in ensuring that we do this work authentically and having the impact that we're striving for. Um, and also people, I think it's easy to believe that the ACLU strictly works in the courts or at the legislator. And so that is definitely why I love the opportunity to let people know education is key. And when I'm talking about education, again, dispelling misinformation, but knowing our rights, making sure people know what it takes to defend our democracy and how to really um live and be active members of our democracy. And I think that just people would probably also be surprised at um how many young folks we have working at the ACLU really again bringing their lived experience and impacts that they've experienced and their families have um been impacted by, so that we are creating um opportunities and you know, identifying policy and legislative opportunities that really are rooted in what the community needs and what the community wants, being an access point for community members. So I do think that oftentimes people, when I'm out and about and I let people know I'm with the ACLU, they always, oh, are you a lawyer? No, not even close. Because it takes it takes a diversity of ideas and thoughts and experiences um to create um something that is more robust and that is more um really deeply aligned with our communities.
SPEAKER_01:Yvonne, you had mentioned, I have two questions for you as follow-up. Uh you had mentioned that um there's a lot of misinformation out there for community members. Can you talk to us about what that misinformation is?
SPEAKER_03:So I think, you know, in general, we understand and see how much um social media, talking ahead, certain media outlets, outlets are um intentionally trying to create a narrative that one doesn't exist. So, for example, um, folks who might be watching the news or social media and hearing that Portland is burning and that Portland is, you know, in a major crisis. And that is not the case. You know, Portland continues to be a beautiful, complicated city with complex issues, but that narrative is for that's intended to give you know them reasons, our government, um, the administration in the White House, this opportunity to say that they need to send uh you know military to our state, that they need to intervene. And so we are just wanting people to know that um that is not the case, that there are definitely people out there um leaning in and um exercising their First Amendment rights. Um, and they're doing it peacefully, they're doing it creatively, courageously, and really a lot of that is showing that tactic is showing just how ridiculous this is. And so, but that information, it's just you know, constant. And so that really impacts um people's idea of who we are, what is happening, what our community needs. And so we want folks to have a clearer, more honest picture and understanding of what is happening, what our needs are. And information just goes so fast that it really is hard to sort of keep up and know what is really true. Um, also, we really think it's important to ensure that people are aware of what their rights are, that you know, if someone that we have the ability to um exercise our free speech without you know being taken away or you know um getting met with violence. Like that is, you know, not uh what should happen. Um, and um we have um just a lot of education so that people are aware of their rights, so that they can better protect themselves as well as our neighbors, our community members, and those who are most impacted by the cruelty of the current administration.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you are the incoming um uh chair, board president for Verde in Portland, and I know that the ECLU, that you have been very involved in terms of the attacks on um nonprofits. And uh I know that uh a number of weeks ago that uh um the Trump administration, in particular Stephen Miller, um uh designed a memo that identified um uh organizations of serve immigrants in particular, uh LGTBQ organizations, and climate justice organizations. They've been targeted as um radical left-wing terrorist organizations. That's scary, it's chilling, and it has deep implications for members of the civil sector, including uh religious organizations like Catholic charities, Lutheran Social Services, um people are not organizations that have done amazing work for so many years, uh, are not uh are all um uh potential uh targets. Can you talk to us about? I mean, so many of us, including we climate commodities, weren't aware of this. And we come from the nonprofit world, we come from the civil sector, and yet in many ways we took for granted that we uh that at least part of democracy, uh, I think in many ways we did take our our democracy democratic rights for for granted, those of us who have the privilege to um uh be somewhat believe we were insulated even though we weren't. But talk to us about can you explain why should listeners care about this? Why is this so important to understand and to step up and change the narrative? Because that narrative is very powerful. That narrative is very powerful that you just spoke about. Talk to us about that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think that um really the intention of all of that, that from what we're seeing from the federal government, um, and you know, taking away resources and financial support from organizations who need it really to instill fear and to try to silence us and to squash the work that is really needed to help uh support uh our communities and the different um impacted communities in different ways. So, you know, nonprofits, which is, you know, I have mostly worked for nonprofits uh for you know throughout my career, and I'm thrilled to work at a nonprofit now and to be Serving on a board for a local nonprofit. And really, I think for me, what I really want folks to remember is it is our nonprofits who are on the ground, who are doing our strongest advocacy, who really are lifting up the voices and doing the work. It comes from local nonprofits who really understand and are driven by these missions and doing it with oftentimes little resources, less resources than they should have for the very important work that they're doing. I think this work to stop resourcing our local nonprofits, our climate, you know, justice agencies, um really are to just get us, get us out of the way to meet so that they can meet their mission to advance uh businesses and the work that causes our environment so much harm, which then causes our communities so much harm. And so I would love for uh your listeners to remember that focusing on our nonprofits, putting your attention there, resourcing our nonprofits is what actually resources our communities. That they are the ones on the ground doing this hard work. And, you know, I think trying to get away from that scarcity model of like, well, you know, only I only can support this one, or I've only really known of this, this organization that I feel comfortable giving to, and and seeing how many organizations are in our communities doing lots of different uh impactful work. And they all deserve our attention and even just awareness of what they're doing, um, and finding ways that we can resource them, either if that is through donations, is that that's likely also through volunteer work, spreading the word, letting others know of the great work that is happening. We need to lift and amplify their work and their mission so people can be drawn to help them and be engaged. These are also avenues to put forth your your energy when most of us are feeling maybe like hopeless or feeling like we don't know what we can do. Uh, we have great opportunities through our local nonprofits to offer support and be engaged in the work. And I think, you know, we all probably have those experiences of it's it's when you're doing that mission-driven work and being part of what feels like a solution is what keeps our hope going, what keeps the the ability to continue to do the hard work that we need to do.
SPEAKER_00:That's amazing. You know, um, as you were talking about that, it it it reminded me in our on our street here, there's uh a uh uh neighbor that's going to is trying to get people together on the street to talk about what can what more can we do? And you know, that meeting is this next weekend. So um how you know how do we get, well, I'm going to this meeting um on the weekend, but like other communities, you know, it's like in the neighborhoods to become more aware, you know, what are even the little small actions that they could do, you know, um, those kinds of things. I my mother-in-law lives over here on um in a um retirement home on and every Friday there are seniors with their little walkers on the corner having all kinds of signs and people honking and you know, and they're sitting there right on the corner every Friday at a at a certain time. And what I've heard is that that's happening in in different locations here in Portland as well. So that's a good example.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, beautiful example, and yeah, and I think it's that level of being connected, and um, that is so important. So within our our community of neighbors on the street, if we know who each other are, if we are aware of um just each other and the families and the people who are living closest to us, then that better prepares us to engage and act be activated, right? Should should ice come down our street, we it is so important to know who are our neighbors who are most at risk, right? So that we can be activated, we mobilize. Also just caring for each other at that level just makes the fabric of our community so much stronger. You know, the as we do this work, as I mentioned, we don't do this alone. We can't do this work alone. No one should do this work alone because we are stronger together, our voices are louder together, our linked arms are stronger together, and and just really having multiple voices and um and people involved in in this work, um it creates hope, it creates safety, as I mentioned before. And even at like mentioning folks, I I see them like driving on the freeway, even if it's like two people on a freeway overpass with a with a sign, um, you know, and I honk, it's like, I see you, I hear you. Thank you for fighting for us, thank you for being a voice and a presence, and letting our impacted community members, like for right now, our immigrant and refugee neighbors, knowing that they see people who are willing to put themselves either on the line or out there in the rain or standing on a street corner for a couple of hours so that they know that they have people in this community looking out for them and who have their backs, that that just creates hope and care, which is really what we all should be thriving for. Um, so that visibility, I find it very impactful. It really should continue to be part of the work that we're all doing. We see each other, we hear each other. You matter. Those who have us don't have a voice, then we're gonna do what we can to protect that as well.
SPEAKER_02:You matter. As we as we come to a closure here, Yvonne, is there any one additional thing you would like our listeners to know as we leave each other here in a couple of minutes? And I'd like my co-host to add anything else before we we close this up a little.
SPEAKER_03:I think that, you know, just this conversation being um in conversation with you all. Um I hope that listeners are inspired and motivated to see the work that has been done. This, these are generational fights. We are doing, you know, this work and we've all seen how long and the generational fights it involves. It needs us to all be involved in it, to build on the work that has been done before us, to build from there, and to create space for what's coming next. You know, I see myself, you know, I'm proud to be thought of and have a leadership role. And I'm very aware that within my role and how I define it and what I my goals are, it's to ensure that we've got leaders who are coming up and who are ready to step in and step in much sooner than I've been able to do for myself or that you know was a that we were all able to do. Like create these opportunities and access points for new leadership amongst our young, energized uh, you know, youth of color, people who are bringing all sorts of different lived experiences. And I hope that we create again more access for women of color leaders to step into roles, whether it's an organization, whether it's in places you volunteer at, whether it's in your churches. Our voices are they matter, they have an impact. And uh I hope just to be part of that work.
unknown:That's great.
SPEAKER_01:Well, uh Yvonne, thank you so much for this opportunity to talk with you. And I know you have inspired, you've inspired us, and you have definitely inspired our listeners. Um, and I would just like to add that I know there are many people who are unemployed in this moment. Uh, and I'll speak specifically uh about the uh federal workers, over a million federal workers that are currently on furlough without pay and may not get paid um uh retroactively. Many of them are doing volunteer work. They're they've signed up to deliver meals. Consuelo, you'll be happy to hear this. Uh, meals on wheels. Uh they are working at the food bank, they are uh working wherever they can volunteering. And I would encourage listeners who are um unemployed right now. Uh Yvonne said something very beautiful that when you're giving, you're not spending so much time in your hopelessness. Um, the hope comes alive when you're giving to others. So thank you, Yvonne. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your your experience and most of all, um, the strength of we as community. Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:So I'd like to leave you all with a reminder from this episode that um your voice matters. Keep learning, keep connecting, keep speaking up for what you believe in. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. And I want to read something that came off a movie, I can't remember what the movie was, and we'll end with this. One of our prime purposes in life is to help people, and if we cannot help them, at the very least, don't hurt them. And with that, please look for us on Spotify. Thank you, Verde, for Verde Action, and we will see you next time.