Ingrid Sarai Rivera-Guzman
President
I am a woman of color. I am an immigrant. I was raised by a single mother. I grew up below the poverty line. I am legally blind. Each of these identities make up who I am, but do not define me. I am relentless.
I was born in El Salvador, at the age of 5, my mother brought me and my two sisters to the U.S. escaping the political instability there. That’s when South Central became my home sweet hood.
At the age of 10, I was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease and declared legally blind. It was through my unrelenting determination, hard work, and with the support of my mom, loved ones, and nonprofits like the Braille Institute that I graduated high school with honors and earned a full scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross.
In 2019, I graduated with my Master’s in Public Policy from Mills College, in Oakland. I returned to South Central equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to develop and advocate for equitable public policies rooted in social justice.
Access to higher education enabled me to see my community in a whole new light. Many of the injustices I’ve learned about as simply “concepts” continue to be experienced by people on my block. And I know that my neighborhood was turned into the “hood”; not through the fault of its residents, but rather through targeted public policies aimed at disproportionately disenfranchising people of color, low-income, immigrants, LGBTQ folks and other marginalized people.
I’ve always felt a calling for public service, and I’ve always known I have to do something to assist in my community’s transformation. That is why in March of 2020 I ran as a Write-In Candidate for LA City Council District 8. Although I didn’t win, my journey lead me to my LCLA familia; an intergenerational, multicultural, fierce squad of justice warriors.
Together we can achieve social justice and equity. I know it won’t be easy; but like I said I am relentless.
LCLA President