[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 176 (Friday, November 2, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE PASSING OF DAVID AYALA-ZAMORA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PRAMILA JAYAPAL

                             of washington

                  in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 2, 2018

  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize David Ayala-
Zamora, who died on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. David's passing is a 
huge loss for the City of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest region. As 
a union organizer and immigrant rights organizer, David was a true 
champion for justice.
  David was born into a middle-class family in El Salvador. During the 
1980s, David was one quarter away from graduating with a degree in 
electrical engineering when he decided to put his studies on hold to 
organize with teachers during El Salvador's civil war. He also worked 
for a government institute that managed pensions for public employees 
as the grievance secretary, often putting him in very challenging and 
dangerous situations.
  David's visibility as a union leader and his calls to end the war 
eventually led to his arrest and torture by Salvadoran security forces. 
His early experiences being tortured shaped the core of his character 
and he brought that strength and resilience to everything he did. David 
described being tortured as ``The best experience in my life. Being 
tortured is like running a marathon. It taught me how committed I am in 
the struggle for justice. And it has fortified me in some ways, because 
you learn how much capacity you have in this body.''
  Forced into exile in the United States where he eventually became a 
U.S. citizen, David returned to organizing work in his new home. He was 
driven to continue this work, saying that ``Those of us who were 
touched by people who gave everything for justice, we have to try to 
keep them alive and with us through the work we do.''
  David's work continues to be felt across the Pacific Northwest 
region. He was one of the organizers who launched the day laborer 
organizing project that became Casa Latina, which continues to advocate 
for immigrant workers' rights. Many years later, he worked with me as 
the Organizing Director at OneAmerica, the organization that I founded 
and where I served as Executive Director for 11 years. David was a true 
partner to me, helping me to expand our organization across Washington 
State as we grew OneAmerica to be the state's largest immigrant rights 
organization. David was exceptional at seeing leadership qualities in 
ordinary people and helping them to develop that leadership to do 
extraordinary things. Thanks to his work, OneAmerica was able to 
strengthen power within underrepresented immigrant communities and win 
major policy victories from maintaining driver's licenses for 
undocumented immigrants, to organizing for the creation of Washington 
State's first and only majority-minority congressional district, and 
pushing for a state Voting Rights Act.
  David also worked for many years at SEIU in Portland and Seattle, 
organizing low-wage workers to bring justice to the workplace; as the 
Field Director at Working Washington where he organized airport workers 
at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to fight for fair wages and 
a safe workplace; and as the Organizing Director at Promise Arizona, 
organizing around voting rights, civic participation, and health care.
  David is survived by his wife, Siovhan Sheridan Ayala, and his 
children, David Ayala-Lindeman, Margarita Anne Ayala-Sheridan, and 
Maura Ruth Ayala-Sheridan; his father, David Ayala-Dominguez; and five 
brothers and sisters, Ana Betty Ayala de Giron, Obed Edgardo Ayala-
Zamora, Ruth Ayala-Zamora, Yani Ayala-Zamora, and Eliud Ulises Ayala-
Zamora.
  David was a trusted advisor and partner to me in fighting for 
immigrant and worker justice. His irrepressible laughter, his deep 
appreciation for life, and his hunger for justice has sustained and 
inspired so many across the Northwest and in El Salvador. A light has 
gone from our world, but David's legacy shines brightly with all those 
he touched and all the movements he helped build. His lasting impact on 
the region will endure for many years to come.

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