By Brenda V. Perez  

How are you making history?  

I am originally from Mexico, but I migrated to D.C. and have been living there for almost 14 years. I am passionate about immigration, the environment, and making sure that youth have the support they need in order to succeed. This is why I hope to continue to create safe and inclusive spaces where immigrant youth can learn how to organize around intersectional issues.  

Who is a woman of color who’s inspired you and why? 

The women who have inspired me are my abuela and my mama. These women have sacrificed so much and have crossed borders so that my siblings and I could be safe and have access to resources that they did not have.  

In October 2019, Brenda Perez served on a panel called Our Ground, Our Voices: Toward Economic Justice for Young Women of Color. Watch the full event and discussion here. What have you been up to since the Our Ground, Our Voices briefing on Capitol Hill? What did participating in the panel mean to you? 

The panel made me realize that we need to create more spaces around intersectional issues. I have a degree in Civil Engineering and I am getting a Master’s in Water Resources Management, so I have been more intentional about understanding how to create spaces for communities of color to have decision-making power on policies that will impact the environment  they live in. I started working at the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment to ensure that we can make D.C. a sustainable city in the most equitable way possible. I also continue to collaborate with groups such as Movement Matters and ICE out of DC to support immigration work through actions, youth organizing training, and local and national policy change.

Follow on Instagram @brenda.vpa