Hello John,

Happy Monday! We start this week by centering the voice of Ortencia Pina, a farmworker from California. She expresses her pride in being Latina and how that has defined her care for her family. Click the image below to listen to her story.

She also added:

"I was born in Mexico in a small town within Michoacan. I dropped out of school at the age of 13 to work in the fields and help my family. My family comes from a long line of fieldworkers, starting with my father, a bracero. I went to the United States at the age of 15 to live the American Dream.

Even with my circumstances of being undocumented and working in the fields for hours while getting paid minimum wage, I am proud. I am pleased my children graduated from high school and have/are pursuing higher education. My oldest, Arleen, has graduated from CSUN with her bachelor's degree, and my youngest, Sarahy, is now attending UCLA. I am a proud mother of three who is living the American Dream through my children.

Yo soy una luchadora."

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.