Immigrants Create Positive Changes in Communities | Martha Sanchez | TEDxLAPL

In 1948, a plane transporting 28 farmers from the Bracero guest worker program crashed in Fresno mountains, killing everyone aboard. The news reports acknowledged the pilot, the flight attendant, and the immigration officer, but the workers were listed as deportees. The truth is that those workers were traveling back to Mexico at the end of their contracts. Their bodies were placed in a mass grave, marked as Mexican citizens, because nobody made an effort to notify their families. It took 65 years for those workers to be properly acknowledged. In a very moving ceremony, now all their bodies and all their names are correctly displayed in a new grave where they rest. This unfortunate fatality inspired troubled Adler and Tom Ferrer, photographer, to cross the Mexican border to collect the stories of 30 people living in a shelter. Adler named his work, I Have a Name, because he wanted to restore dignity to the 11.7 undocumented immigrants living in the shadows. Through his work, Adler gives a face, a name, and a place for those immigrants to tell their stories. Like those immigrants, I do also have a name and a story to share with you today. Hi, my name is Marta Sanchez. Actually, my real name is Marta Maria Magdalena Sanchez de la Peña. It's not a joke, it's true. I was invited to adopt a short version of it that could fit in the system. I was born and raised in Tepatitlan de Morelos, Jalisco. Yes, big names is a big issue. As many immigrants, I grew up in a very poor family, too. As a child, I wanted to be a hero. Not a cartoon or a Hollywood hero, I wanted to be a real hero. Someone like Madre Teresa and Gandhi. My childhood was very difficult. We were seven kids, an alcoholic dad, and my mom as the main provider. My mom was very strict with school. She was convinced that getting education would save us from poverty. Contrary to her, my dad, he was a stronger believer that school was meant for the rich and women to serve their husbands. Growing up with them was really difficult. We were constantly exposed to child abuse, domestic violence, and poverty. One day, my mom was deeply crying and her suing my chi. And when I asked her why, she said, mija, I'm in debt with so many people. If I don't pay them soon, they're gonna put me in jail. And you know, for some mysterious reasons, little kids always have practical solutions to any problem. So I told her, ay, mamá, ¿puedes ir a Estados Unidos? Come on, mom, you should go to the United States. Don't worry about us, I can do everything. And she listened to me. She came to work to the United States when I was 12, leaving me in charge of my six siblings. And this is us when she came. I mean, there was nothing wrong. I was truly prepared to do the job. I was truly prepared to do it. But there was just one little problem. I didn't know how to protect myself against the work outside home, especially from child molesters. The positive thing that I can say about my childhood is, I'm a survivor. None of the horrible things that happened to me destroyed my spirit. I was determined to overcome my fears and my struggles. So I worked so hard to graduate from high school in 1999. And three years later, I got married and had my first son. But God had a special plan for me. My husband lost his job, and we were forced, just like my mom, to come to the United States to work. We left behind our families, our memories, and the place that we used to call home. I was blessed with three children, Gonzalo, Stephanie, and Catherine. And after so many trials and tribulations, we found a place to live in South Los Angeles, the poorest community in this city. In 2003, the air quality management district came to my children's school to let us know that the company located across the street from the school was using chemicals known by the state of California to cause cancer. I never told them there was something wrong until they say cancer. At the time, most people in my community didn't speak English. We were poor, vulnerable, and isolated. I knew that we didn't have any other choice but to fight for our lives. So I took the week to organize community members, parents, and teachers against the company. The first thing that I did was to collect information, compile proofs that could help me to demonstrate that that company was killing us really slowly. And I was right. I found hundreds of children, among them my own kids, dealing with asthma, allergies, headaches, bleeding noses, tumors, brain cancer, brain tumors as well. And adults having miscarriages and cancer too. During the battle, we lost ten teachers and school staff to cancer. And as I speak right now, there are many more trying to fight for their lives. Finally, in 2011, the company closed its doors forever. Just wait, wait. Closing the company was the goal. But during the process, we embraced a bigger vision. We wanted to replace 11 acres of industrial land where the company was located into affordable housing. And this is the first phase completed of a five phases plan. I've been also involved in so many community actions and campaigns. But throughout these years, I'm not only for the permanent closure of the company. I went to school to learn English. It's not very good yet. I got my GED, went to community college, got my bachelor's degree, and I'm ready to start my master program. As I said, one of the things that I was doing was to get involved in any community action and any community plan that will help to improve my community. And one of them is we were trying to replace underutilized facilities like this with new school sites. I've been also involved in many campaigns advocating for economic resources, better salaries, job opportunities, education, and health programs. And the list goes on and on and on. My most recent campaign is this. We were 15 women fasting for 15 days across the street from the city hall in Los Angeles City to encourage the city officials to adopt $15 as the minimum wage for our city. And we are this close to win. My story is just one example of the many contributions and the many positive things that immigrants do in their communities. We build roads, schools, housing, we create art, gardens, job opportunities, and we also pay taxes. Unfortunately, very few people have been acknowledged for that. Like the workers from the immigration, from the Bracero program, most people are condemned to be ignored by the media. Because no matter how many things or how many positive things we do in our communities, there is no place for us to write our names on those projects. In my case, I shouldn't complain of being ignored. It is true that I've been acknowledged a few times for my work and dedication to community service. But it's also true that I have done all my work and worked three times harder than the rest of the people. Can I tell you a secret? All the things that I have done in this country, I did it while holding the undocumented status. And for the female troublemaker, I mean, for a female activist like me, being undocumented is a real challenge. Because I was always confronting the very system that could send me back to my country just for trying to make public officials accountable to people. My life has never been easy. And after 18 years of waiting in line, my husband, my son, and I, we finally became legal residents last year. And after 20 years, I was able to hug my brothers once again. To be honest, I still have the fear inside of me to be deported. Because I've ingrained that fear inside of my heart for 20 years. Time has passed, and my childhood dream of becoming a hero came back to life when council member Price called me to let me know that tomorrow he's going to acknowledge me as the Los Angeles City Council District 9 cheerer. Although I believe that real heroes die before being properly acknowledged, the fact that I'm still alive means that I have so many battles ahead to win. And that I haven't fulfilled my purpose in life. Can I share with you my dream as an activist? It is my dream that one day, all immigrants, like those from the Bracero program, can finally get a place to sign their names in a space like this to tell their stories, just like me. Thank you so much for letting me share my story. Thank you.