[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 203 (Saturday, December 22, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





         CELEBRATING LIDERES CAMPESINAS'S THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, December 22, 2018

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the thirtieth 
anniversary of Lideres Campesinas and to congratulate the incredible 
women of the Coachella Valley who founded it.
  For three decades, Lideres Campesinas has empowered farm working 
women across California to advocate for themselves, their families, and 
their communities in a struggle for equality.
  I was 16 when Lideres Campesinas was founded by friends and neighbors 
I've known my whole life.
  These were women who looked out for me and fed me tamales.
  One of the members even gave me the affectionate nickname, ``mi 
chaparrito,'' Mexican slang for short guy.
  Actually, she still calls me chaparrito.
  These women have deep connections to our community, but as 
farmworkers, they endure many hardships.
  Farmworkers don't share the same protections under our labor laws, 
and they often face difficult working conditions and wage 
discrimination.
  On top of that, women farmworkers face higher rates of domestic 
violence and sexual assault, and a severe lack of legal resources and 
women's health services.
  The founders of Lideres Campesinas experienced those hardships 
firsthand, so to fight for themselves and their community, they decided 
to organize.
  Maria Aguirre Rosales De Banuelos was one of those founders.
  Maria migrated to the U.S. in 1977, and she held a demanding 
agricultural job for twenty years.
  After being trapped in an abusive marriage for most of her life, 
Maria met with some of her farmworking neighbors in the Coachella 
Valley.
  In that room, she realized she was not alone: many of the women she 
spoke to had also experienced domestic abuse, and like her, finally 
felt the freedom to share their experiences with others.
  That realization gave Maria the strength to free herself from an 
abusive relationship, and to help create an organization that would 
connect and empower women in the Coachella Valley.
  That's how Lideres Campesinas was born.
  Out of community.
  Out of compassion.
  And those are the values to which it has stayed true.
  Lideres Campesinas has since grown to include chapters across 
California.
  By providing women with health education services, they are helping 
women live healthy and productive lives.
  By educating their communities about workplace harassment and labor 
exploitation, they have helped women stand up for their rights.
  And by connecting women with legal and social services, they have 
helped women remedy the discrimination they face.
  Maria Aguirre passed away earlier this year, but she will forever be 
remembered as an empathetic, kind-hearted leader of our community.
  To the women of Lideres Campesinas, thank you for your service to our 
community.
  A todas las mujeres de Lideres Campesina, gracias por su servicio a 
nuestras communidades.