Guest Blog: Building Community and Latinx Political Power with Arizona State Representative Raquel Terán
Growing up in Douglas, Arizona is like having a foot in two worlds. Because it straddles the United States and Mexican border, my upbringing was unique in that I grew up on what I considered an international avenue – my favorite tienditas on one side, my family on the other, and then the desert, the saguaros, watching us all.
Living in a border town means understanding economic privilege from an early age. I recognized the divide that existed, and the role that politics played in our lives. I was painfully aware of the privileges that being a U.S. Citizen awarded me, and I questioned why my neighbors weren't able to experience what my family could.
Despite it all, I grew up in a community that was the epitome of tight knit. My parents were the first community organizers I looked up to. My father was the president of a board of directors for a group home that catered to senior citizens and young girls. Service and commitment to community were values embedded into my upbringing.
As I grew older, the inequality I witnessed just couldn’t be ignored. Anti-immigrant sentiment was rampant, and legislation and propositions like making English the official language, proof of citizesnship to register to vote, tripling the tuition for undocumented students and of course SB1070 (also known as the “Show Me Your Papers” provision), and legislators like Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio gripped Arizona in what I felt was a lasso of fear. After attending a national protest, I realized how important it was to vote, and to register my peers to elect people who wouldn’t criminalize the migrant community. From that moment, I knew I would have a future in politics myself. Back then, and now, I have felt that it is my calling to build Latinx political power.
I first ran for office in 2012. I lost by 113 votes, but I learned a lot and didn’t let it discourage me from continuing the work with grassroots organizations. I became even more committed to staying involved and doing the work, in our community, and over time, I was able to see the fruit of that labor. In 2018, I was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives, representing District 30.
In my role as an Arizona State Representative, I hope to build consciousness about the work that needs to be done to promote stewardship while advocating for the protection of our public lands, and the importance of clean air and water. Within our district, we have the zip codes with the highest number of individuals with asthma in Arizona. We have to be especially outspoken to keep our city parks as public, accessible space – most of the radius in Legislative District 30 is surrounded by freeways and I look forward to connecting my constituents with environmental justice during my tenure, as I feel my community experiences first hand impacts as a result of climate change, such as bad air quality and ultimately, increased rates of asthma.
As Latinos, I think we already practice conservation in ways that may not be the new norm, but yet are traditional for us. My maternal grandmother always carried homeopathic savila that she would make from her own garden. She taught us that nature was medicine. I remember being sick and she walked outside to the window, plucked some herbs and gave me a salve. My maternal grandmother made her own aloe vera. The land has played an important role in our daily lives, and my antepasados never let me forget it. On a day-to-day basis, things like repurposing single-use plastic containers as tupperware, and having a reusable grocery tote to avoid using plastic bags are all things I’ve witnessed in our culture that we implement that are more eco-friendly.
When I think of the desert landscape that is our home, I see such profound beauty. What some may deem as desolate, is actually teeming with life, an established ecosystem thriving in the shadows of the saguaros. I really feel that the desert is us. We have cultivated such a special bond with the desert, with some of the earliest peoples in Mexico relying on the desert for sustenance. I recognize our culture in these landscapes, in the plant life that we use for salve, in the nopales we eat. It is a place I feel connected to that connects me to my ancestors, and calls to them. The colors are striking, the sunrises and sunsets it gives those of us who are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. I feel fortunate to be able to advocate for it, so that we can continue to enjoy it for many generations to come.