A Lifetime of Activism: Victoria Cervantes on Community and Solidarity

10/08/24 • 65 min

In this episode of Metropolis Rising, we sit down with Victoria "Vicki" Cervantes, a dedicated activist with a lifetime of experience fighting for justice. Vicki's journey began in high school during the civil rights and anti-war movements of the Vietnam era. For decades, she has been a pillar of Chicago's Mexican community, advocating for community and labor rights.

After the military coup in Honduras in June 2009, Vicki co-founded the Honduras Solidarity Network and now serves as its North American coordinator. She regularly travels to Honduras, supports campesino and indigenous communities, engages with the broader resistance movement, and works as a human rights observer. Join us as we delve into Vicki's inspiring story and her unwavering commitment to social justice.

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Lilian Jimenez: The Inspired Logic of a Rebel

Lilian Jimenez is an attorney who advocates for greater justice and equity in public policy. She has extensive experience in direct services, community organizing, and policy advocacy, with a special focus on promoting the rights of immigrant populations and communities of color. Lili works to ensure that government, as well as non-profit programs, are aligned with the needs of the communities that they are supposed to serve. She has dedicated herself to the issues of immigration, health justice, workers’ rights, and criminal justice reform.
Lili has held leadership positions with: Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); the Fair Labor Standards Division of the Illinois Department of Labor; the Illinois Office of Immigrant & Refugee Services; the State of Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); she was also a Civil Rights Investigator in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Lilian Jimenez is also currently running as a candidate to represent the State of Illinois’ 4th District in the State House of Representatives.
We also want to apologize in advance for some mild background noise in the audio during the latter part of the interview.
Host: Nicholas De Genova
Producer & Editor: Magdalena Rodriguez