[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E91-E92]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF PETRA RUIZ OF COACHELLA VALLEY

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 28, 2020

  Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to tell the Nation about the 
life and legacy of Petra Ruiz of the Coachella Valley.

[[Page E92]]

  Petra Ruiz was an organizer, activist, and leader who used her life 
to stand up for farmworking women across California.
  As the son of farmworkers in the eastern Coachella Valley, I am all 
too familiar with the social, economic, and political hardships the 
farmworking community faces on a daily basis. The struggles can often 
be so great that you have to have someone or something to look to for 
inspiration. For me, and for so many of us in the Coachella Valley, 
Petra Ruiz was one such inspiration.
  Petra was a fierce and loving leader who was held in high esteem, 
even by the people who didn't agree with what she had to say. But it 
was hard not to agree with what she had to say. You see, Petra believed 
in helping farmworking women across California advocate for themselves, 
for their families, and for their communities in the struggle for 
equality and their basic human rights.
  Petra got involved in the union movement in the 1970s and was a 
warrior for justice and equality within the farmworking community 
through her final days.
  A phrase that I have heard repeatedly in talking with members of the 
community and with her family is ``she was always there.'' Petra was 
always there.
  Even as a mother and a grandmother to a big family, she worked with 
the United Farm Workers of America to advocate for the rights of the 
farmworker community. Petra led marches; she attended meetings; she 
would even go door-to-door with flyers making sure that farmworkers 
knew their rights.
  Petra was a remarkable woman, revered, admired, a mover and shaker, 
an effective leader who led with her actions as much as she did by her 
words. She inspired me to never say no to my dreams, to pursue justice 
at every turn, and to always believe I could make a difference.
  Madam Speaker, while she is missed dearly, Petra's legacy didn't end 
with her passing. Her impact is felt today and will continue in the 
lives of generations to come.

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