[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 16, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ALFREDO ACOSTA FIGUEROA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent and dear 
friend, Alfredo Acosta Figueroa, for his lifelong dedication to social 
justice and his relentless advocacy for civil rights during the Chicano 
Movement with Cesar Chavez and Bert Corona.
  Alfredo Acosta Figueroa was born in Blythe, California, to a fifth-
generation indigenous-Chicano family from the Colorado River Indian 
Reservation, which encompasses the Palo Verde Valley in California and 
all through Parker Valley in Arizona.
  From a young age, Alfredo learned the values of social justice from 
his family. As a young kid working in the mines, his parents taught him 
the values of standing up for himself, caring for his neighbors, and 
standing by his coworkers.
  Because of his family's lessons, he has dedicated his entire life to 
safeguarding the civil, voting, working, and environmental rights of 
disenfranchised and indigenous communities.
  In the late 1950s, Alfredo and his brothers, known as the Figueroa 
Brothers, became actively involved in the civil rights movement. 
Together, they fought against injustices in Blythe, the Coachella 
Valley, and throughout the American Southwest.
  Through it all, Alfredo was mentored by two highly respected Chicano 
leaders: Humberto ``Bert'' Corona, an immigration rights activist with 
the Mexican American Political Association; and Cesar Chavez, the civil 
rights leader of the United Farm Workers.
  Corona and Chavez's mentorship only deepened Alfredo's passion for 
human rights, encouraging him to further pursue equity and social 
justice for his community.
  Over the years, Figueroa has worn many hats and has undertaken 
monumental roles, including that of lifetime ``gambusino'' or miner, 
civil rights activist, humanitarian, farm labor organizer, staunch 
environmentalist, antinuclear activist, historian, political 
coordinator, boxing coordinator, folkloric singer and guitarist, 
indigenous traditionalist, and author, just to name a few.
  So now, he leads the protection of sacred indigenous sites within the 
Lower Colorado River Basin and Palo Verde and Parker Valleys.
  Thanks to Alfredo's leadership, many historical indigenous sacred 
sites and bodies of water have been protected. This includes the Sacred 
Mule Mountains, the Lower Colorado River, the world-renowned Blythe 
Giant Intaglios, and over 300 other sacred sites. Alfredo has achieved 
all this and more by following his guiding principle to never give up.
  One of his famous sayings, ``La Lucha Indeterminable,'' or ``The 
Never-Ending Struggle,'' has kept him motivated in his lifelong mission 
to share, educate, organize, and regain indigenous cosmic traditional 
culture.
  Alfredo's compelling force to provoke change has found inspiration in 
two indigenous philosophies: First, the Neltiliztli, or ``the birth of 
the new knowledge,'' meaning that we must always seek the truth;
  Second, the ancient Nahuatl teachings of Tloque Nahuaque, or the 
saying, ``among all, we do all, for the betterment of all.'' Both have 
allowed him to persist in this long journey and inspire many others.
  So, to my dear friend, Alfredo Acosta Figueroa, you personify the 
dedication, resiliency, and carino of so many of our communities. Your 
life of service will forever be an inspiration for all people, and we 
are in great debt to you.
  On behalf of California's 36th Congressional District, I thank you 
for your continued dedication and challenging work in the protection of 
our ancestral sacred lands.
  ``Mexica Tiahui,'' ``Move Forward.''

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