Verónica Carbajal for El Paso

My heart is broken most especially for the victims and for a family that has to contend with shame that is not theirs to carry. I am overwhelmed by the fortitude that Dolores Huerta and the Chavez family have shown us and their decision to not be a part of any upcoming events.

I am both proud and deeply saddened and angry that I felt compelled to include this zero tolerance policy in our Sembrando Esperanza Coalition member agreement in early 2025. I am proud that I wanted to spare others things I've experienced while organizing throughout my life and enraged that to this day, people still need to be told how to behave. Please feel free to adopt it for your organizing work.

"Zero tolerance for sexual and/or homophobic harassment and assault. Members agree to not sexually harass or assault other Coalition members or people they interact with while doing Coalition related work. Sexual harassment and assault includes verbal, physical, and electronic (text, email, etc.) conduct of a sexual nature."

I love you so, so much Aaron M. Sweeney. So much so that tomorrow I’m running my first ever 10k with Alegre Rodriquez and Coach Ruby Montana who is doing a full marathon in Honolulu!! I know you’re with us and that you’ll be sending signs to keep us going. And I know you know how desperately I wish you were here in the flesh and not on a tribute t-shirt. And you know how my heart aches for the students at Brown and everyone who has been through unnecessary grief.

I run for you. I run for them. I run for Mama Clemen who ran through Guadalupe like a gazelle when she was young. I run for Max who guards my every step still.

I run with so much grief and so much gratitude and love for everyone who helped Aaron and me reconnect - including Corrie Boudreaux foe inviting me to the Mardi Gras party that changed my life - and for everyone who has held my heart, taken my calls, and listened. Echo, a feral dog from Juarez was our cupid in this life. Ruby’s courage and Josie Martinez's loving care as a foster led to Aaron adopting Echo, now Corporal Clegg. In honor of Aaron and all the dogs that healed him and me, please donate to Bridge Pups Rescue . The suggested donation is $1 for every mile the 3 of us run. These four-legged angels have work to do!

Mahalo Jamie Walton for the time Aaron
and you shared in Honolulu.

The photos in El Paso Matters 's article say it all. County Judge Alicia Chacon was not afraid of taking on the establishment and standing up for all of us. In doing so, she opened doors and allowed many of us to dream that another world was possible, one in which Black, Brown, and Indigenous kids from working families could step into their own power. I am forever honored to. have had the support of the Judge when I ran for mayor and will forever treasure her wisdom. If you were born in the late 70s in El Paso, your birth certificate was also signed by this fearless Chicana. My heart is with the Judge's family and all who had the honor of loving her and knowing her love.

Photos by Viridiana Villa

https://elpasomatters.org/2025/11/25/alicia-chacon-died-obit-el-paso-texas-county-judge-yisd-trustee/

A very thorough article by Martin Paredes about her incredible hard work and commitment.
https://aliciachacon.com/

Image:
Visitation: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 4p-8p, Rosary at 6p, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Old Ysleta Mission

Funeral Mass: Wed., Dec. 3, 9:30am, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church
Internment: Ft. Bliss National Cemetery

Last May 4th, I watched Aaron Sweeney deliver a spectacular presentation about his neuroscience team's research. Then we had a Star Wars marathon.

"How could YOU not know and love Star Wars? It's about power and justice - those are your things Vero! You're going to love it," he said. I was like, "Oh geez. I really hope I do." But he was right.

All days are hard and some days present moments that seem impossibly heavy until I remind myself grief isn't meant to be carried alone. And it is then that I can hear and perceive his whispers. I am so, so grateful he remains a strong communicator. Grateful for this May 4th at Fox Plaza which combined indigenous traditions with Star Wars tributes. Grateful for my Soul Sisters and Soul Kin who made time for us to fill our Spiritual cups and helped me name things I didn't even know I needed. Thank you Minerva, Aeryn and . 🌻Grateful for Ollie, the cutest, most ferocious Ewok. Grateful for my new jewelry friends (support local, the sunflower bracelet was a gift from Josie). The Secret Garden at Fox Plaza is magical.

The last day to vote is Saturday, May 3 (7a to 7p). You can vote at any polling location. Districts are divided by the high schools that take in students from nearby elementary and middle schools (feeder patters). I know the world is especially overwhelming right now. But this is one way to claim our power. 🌻 Also. Only 3% of voters voted in 2021. 😭

D1 (Bowie and El Paso High): Leah Hanany
D3 (Austin): Jack Loveridge
D4 (Chapin, Irvin): Mindy Sutton
D5 (Andress): Robert Osterland

Find out when and where to vote: epcountyvotes.com

Removing the semis from the Bridge of the Americas will have huge impacts on our health and environment, especially for the people of South Central El Paso who live right next to the ultrafine particulates and noise from the semis. This decision took over 2 and a half years and serves as a testament to what we can accomplish when we stand together. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a reality, especially the residents of the most impacted communities. Now, let's get some public transportation on the BOTA and reduce the cars!

I hope this and other local victories encourage you to stay engaged with local movements.

.aztlan

I am.

On dusty, nearly-impossible-to-breathe days like today... I am.

On days that are meant to be sacred but are instead used to enrich the already obscenely rich... I am.

On days that are meant to scare me into submission... I am.

I shared the full moon in March with a very pregnant turtle who slowly navigated her way to a spot only to decide it was not worthy of her eggs. The guides found a nest with 5 babies, 2 of which looked like they wouldn't make it. A little boy made it his mission to get us to cheer them to the ocean. One made a hard left and then corrected into some rocks. We screamed a collective NO!! And cheered when the ocean waves welcomed it home. The last one did its best to compensate for a malformation, stopping to catch its breath even as the ocean receded farther and farther away. We thought it was dead more than once. But it kept surprising us, its sweet head emerging each time, its Spirit still in it. What a metaphor for these times, when it seems so many things are broken beyond repair; when victory seems to be moving farther and farther away; when rest looks like failure or a luxury we cannot afford; when fear tries to drown out our ancestors and our guides, cheering us onto joy.

Gracias Costa Rica, March 2025

At one point, one of the guides yelled in English, "Jesus Christ people put your phones down and be in the MOMENT. You can youtube videos of this!!" So yeah, if you don't like the quality of these videos, you can find some better ones on youtube.

Storytime! In 1995, I asked Harold Ward, the director of the Environmental Studies Dept. at Brown if we could add a section on environmental justice to the curriculum of the ES11 (intro to Env Studies) class, which had hundreds of students. He agreed, and I spent the summer working on the curriculum. Long story short, a student was so moved by the material about farmworkers, she decided to fundraise to bring Dolores Huerta to campus. We had a beautiful event that ended with a few of us having bowls of chili at Montanas on Thayer (the closest we could get to Mexican food) with Dolores! You just never know who is listening and what great things they will do when they hear the truth.

Years later, my Mom and I met Dolores during the premiere of her documentary and we talked about Duranguito and she told us to keep fighting. Never in a million years would I have imagined that she would endorse me for Mayor in 2020. Thank you Norma Chavez for breaking through her family’s loving shield of protection. Tonight, thanks to Movimiento Chucanx and Cafecito y Mas, I got to watch the documentary again. I left inspired and surrounded by people who are in the struggle, la lucha, for life. We walked out into the moon reaching its fullness, reminding us, as Dolores does, that there is and will always be light. This time, we celebrated with nachos from The Tap.

Dolores Huerta’s life has not been easy. The patriarchy both outside and within the movement tried to dim her light time and again. Despite the obstacles, this mother of 11 has become the mother of a movement that will not fade away - just take a look at the march in Albuquerque with the and ! Dolores Huerta is and will always be a guiding light for so many of us.

Happy 95th Birthday Dolores Huerta!! Si Se Puede!! Viva La Mujer!!

Please consider donating to the which continues to train organizers to fight the good fight.

There is no where else I'd rather be to fight the good fight for justice for all. I love our community. Thank you to everyone who organized, spoke and attended the Cesar Chavez march!! The speakers were amazing!! #915

Call to Action! State Rep. Joe Moody has co-authored HB32, which will severely hurt tenants by expediting the eviction process. This, coupled with an increase in investment firms gobbling up rental properties, will lead to more unhoused people. I represented tenants for nearly two decades and fear that those most impacted will be victims of domestic violence, people with physical and/or mental disabilities, and those with landlords looking for any excuse to break leases and increase rents on the next tenant. It may also affect people who are buying homes with seller financing from unscrupulous sellers.

The hearing on this bill is on March 12th. Please call State Rep. Joe Moody's office and tell him you oppose HB32.
Local office: 915-751-2700
State office: 512-463-0728

Eleven-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza’s su***de is a tragic reminder that children are always listening.  In 2009, after the gay kiss at Chico’s Tacos forced El Paso to confront its homophobia, I wrote an op ed for Newspaper Tree. I asked people to consider that the child overhearing their hateful LGBTQ slurs could be q***r, and it is unjust and dangerous to make kids feel unworthy.

Kids in Gainesville, Texas who heard hatred spewed at immigrants - maybe by parents, the news, Trump, or non-elected President Musk - felt emboldened to bully a Latinx little girl and no one stopped them. 

Some will say, “Well, this wouldn’t be happening if people came here legally.”  As a REMINDER, Christopher Columbus, the colonizers, and the priests that invaded countries ALREADY occupied and owned by Native people were ILLEGAL and didn’t come from Europe with “papers.” As an additional REMINDER, Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal worked illegally in the U.S. They had student visas but never enrolled in college and instead worked illegally on their start-up. Kimbal even admitted to an illegal re-entry after he was rejected at an international bridge. Yet, Elon was allowed to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. If Musk’s illegality doesn’t bother you, but that of BIPOC and/or poor immigrants does, please sit with that for as long as it takes to unravel your racial, color, class, and/or gender privilege & bias. As a final REMINDER, Trump is deporting people who ARE here legally and showing up to immigration appointments, including immigrants married to US citizens, DACA recipients, Veterans & people with credible asylum claims.

There are so many ways to fight back. But in honor of Jocelynn’s life and the pain her parents are enduring, please share her story. Please watch the words that come out of your mouth and into our kids’ ears. Please remember that “Life and death lie in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). While on this Earth, you get to choose.

Images are reposted from