[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 1, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING EUGENIA ``GENIE'' ZAVALETA

 Ms. SINEMA. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and 
legacy of Eugenia ``Genie'' Zavaleta, a community leader who passed 
away in Tempe, AZ, on April 6, 2019, at the age of 92. Genie Zavaleta 
was a fighter for immigration reform, advocate for the DREAM Act, and a 
dedicated voice for DACA recipients. Our State will miss her dearly.
  Genie Zavaleta described her life's concerns as ``her family, 
education, health care, family planning, the environment, poverty and 
injustice, the Presbyterian Church and the Democratic Party.'' 
Throughout her life, she served these issues through educator and 
advocacy roles within the Presbyterian Church, the Migrant Ministry of 
the National Council of Churches, Planned Parenthood of Arizona, and 
the Maricopa County Health Department.
  Her immense advocacy work within the migrant community began in 1958, 
when she and her husband Hector took on roles to serve migrant farm 
laborers known as braceros. In 1965, Genie Zavaleta and her family 
moved to Arizona, where she focused on helping migrant workers acquire 
new skills to adjust to Arizona's rapid industrialization. Eventually, 
Genie Zavaleta became a fierce advocate for DACA recipients and the 
DREAM Act.
  Genie Zavaleta is survived by her husband Hector, her sons Dan and 
David, and their wives Nori and Linda. She will be dearly missed by 
other family members, friends, and the hundreds of people whose lives 
she touched. Please join me in honoring her memory.

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