Latinos head to Olympia for Legislative Day

Last year, a lack of planning, rifts between organizers and a shortage of leadership almost left this region without a delegation to Olympia for Hispanic/Latino Legislative Day.

At the last minute, Tomás Villanueva, a veteran activist in the Yakima Valley, was able to organize a local caravan from Pasco.

This time, things happened differently.

The annual Hispanic/Latino Legislative Day is today in Olympia, and once again, Villanueva is at the helm of the organizing -- but this time he had help from new activists.

Luz Balderas, a Sunnyside homemaker, and Paola Zambrano, a Yakima fruit packer, are among the organizers.

"I've seen the need to organize ourselves, that not many people go," Balderas said. "It's good to go, but it's even better to do work and advocate for the issues that affect us."

Each year, Latinos from across Washington go to the state capital to meet lawmakers and other political leaders, including the governor.

Rep. Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney, a Seattle Democrat who grew up in Wapato and Toppenish, says she will speak on education issues and challenges facing Washington's Latino community. Members of the community also hope to meet with Gov. Chris Gregoire and House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle.

The Hispanic/Latino Legislative Organization is sponsoring two buses for about 100 people in total to depart from Pasco and make stops in Sunnyside and Yakima, said chairman Ricardo Iñiguez, an assistant principal at Wenatchee High School. The local caravan will add another 75 Valley residents.

"The point, ultimately, is to get as many people there as possible," Iñiguez said, adding that about 500 people attended last year's event.

It's the opportunity to talk to politicians that prompted Balderas to pitch in.

Yakima organizers say that their major concerns include education, health care, the economy and the state's policy on drivers licenses.

Zambrano said she wanted to help organize the Olympia trip after reading about anti-illegal immigrant initiatives and noticing a lack of outcry from local Latino leaders.

"I got infuriated. Where were all the community's leaders? It seemed as if we were just asleep, that everything is silent," she said. "I said to myself, 'Why don't we wake up to what's happening here?'"

She was even more motivated after a recent meeting for Legislative Day organizers at Radio KDNA, where she noticed the different kinds of people in attendance -- students, field workers and other fruit packers like her.

"I think we have good educators who can teach us and help us get ahead," Zambrano said. "With so much will, we can move forward."

* Joseph Trevino is editor of El Sol de Yakima, the Yakima Herald-Republic's Spanish-language newspaper.