Wendy Carrillo is a local activist and journalist who grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. She’s also a friend of La Comadre and an advocate for quality education. Last month after spending nearly two months at Standing Rock, North Dakota volunteering and chronicling the battle for clean water, Wendy decided to run for Congress in the 34th district after Congressman Xavier Becerra was appointed to be the state attorney general.
As a small child, Wendy was brought to the US by her mother escaping the war in El Salvador. She grew up in Boyle Heights, attended Roosevelt High School, studied at East Los Angeles College, Cal State LA, and earned a master’s degree at USC. Wendy is definitely an L.A. woman, and she’s committed to social justice having a track record that spans many causes from labor to education.
This Saturday Wendy had the privilege of speaking at the Women’s March on Washington. She was the only current candidate for Congress who was invited to speak. Following the march, Wendy also made a few appearances on MSNBC.
Wendy’s actions are an inspiration because it shows that despite adversity, we comadres can make a difference and can take affirmative steps to change our communities for the better. It takes a lot of effort and guts to throw yourself into the political sphere to run for office, especially if you aren’t a career politician or haven’t been groomed for electoral politics. Becoming involved in these uncertain times is absolutely necessary for our community because so much is at stake from DACA (the program that protects undocumented young people) to healthcare to accountability standards for our students.
We are all in this together with you. We want to be a resource for you and for all of the children you love. Whether you need some info or you have info to share, you know where to go…LA Comadre.