Itzel Polo Mendieta, a Mexican activist trying to improve the lives of her people, will speak at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on October 5 in Dillard Theatre. She will give the same presentation at each talk.
Itzel was born in Mexico City and grew up in San Francisco Tetlanohcan, a small rural community in the in the state of Tlaxcala with a high rate of citizens journeying to the United States, a process known as “out migration.”
Itzel has worked as a volunteer for an organization that seeks to decrease the negative impacts of migration by working with the relatives of those who have migrated, especially women, to offer support, services, and resources as needed.
Currently, she is working as a community organizer in Mexico City with an organization called The Other DREAMERs. This is a group of young returned migrants – some who were deported, others who returned voluntarily – who do not have the necessary support and opportunities needed to reintegrate into Mexican Society and the Mexican Labor Force.
The Other DREAMERs seek to increase access to education for their constituency, because under Mexican law, the process to validate educational studies from the United States can be lengthy and expensive. The Other DREAMERs organize for better job opportunities and access to education in Mexico.
The talk is sponsored by LC’s Chaplain’s Office and the Elisha K. Bennett Lectureship in Personal Growth and Development.
