July 2014

Letter to

Dolores Huerta

Mimosa Thomas

Corpus Christi, Texas, 

Dear Ms. Huerta,

I am writing to you as the co-president of the newly formed South Texas Youth Congress, but also as an individual who has been deeply impacted by your work. As the most prominent female civil rights activist of our time, you inspired in multiple generations of girls the strength to stand up against oppression and injustice for themselves and for others. 

My childhood was one of rallies and marches – I grew up with a protest sign in my hand. I was raised to believe that injustice must be fought wherever it is encountered, but that that fight must be conducted through unity and civil protest, not through violence or hate. Having been born after the peak of the civil rights movement, my mother learned these principles that would become the core behind all of her actions by watching you and César Chávez, and the way in which the National Farm Workers Association was able to make a positive difference in so many lives. 

Being so impacted by you work, my mother raised me with an emphasis on social action, and I feel that a large part of who I am today comes from the path that you paved.

Today, I am a member and presidents of the South Texas Youth Congress, a pilot program of the Dream Forward Foundation that seeks to empower the voices of South Texas youth by giving them a public policy platform to voice their ideas. 

Representatives from high schools all over South Texas are elected by their peers, and come together to create a meaningful proposal, which they will then attempt to get passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law.

We are currently working on a proposal to promote educational equality despite socio-economic status by making technology resources available to all Texas students, guarantee the right to a college education by lowering tuition and increasing college and career readiness resources in high schools to aid students with the process of applying for admissions and scholarships, a bill to change the way we treat minors with drug offenses with a focus on rehabilitation and aide over punishment. 

And, to protect Texans on the road by strengthening drunk driving laws, and ensure that English-language learning  and bilingual students are given the same educational rights as English speaking students. 

Your legacy has been and continues to be an inspiration to all youth hoping to make a difference in the world, which is why it would mean so much to us if you agreed to become a friend of the South Texas Youth Congress. Thank you so much for everything you have done and continue to do for our country and the world. 

Sincerely, 

Mimosa Thomas

First STYC President