Divided by Difference: Dawn Martinez Oropeza

Dawn Martinez Oropeza is Executive Director of Al Exito, a mentoring and youth empowerment organization that works with hundreds of middle and high school-aged Latinos across Iowa. She has deep roots in Des Moines, on both the Jewish and Mexican sides of her family. Since childhood, she has navigated blended identities and cultural divides. Dawn shares about her pilgrimage into the private world of César Chávez, as she preserved his legacy and helped establish a national monument in his honor. We talk about her explorations of art, food, and religious practice, a journey that took her to Seattle, Chicago, Miami, California, and back home to the Midwest.