Cecilia Moreno is originally from the small, predominantly Mexican community of Orosi. She is of Yokut (Tachi and Wukchumni) and Mexican descent. After graduating from Orosi High School in 2012, she attended the University of California, Merced where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social sciences in 2019.
Cecilia has been involved in many Native American language and cultural revitalization programs and events since childhood. Her maternal grandmother, Lawona, has been her inspiration and teacher. Through her, she has learned the importance of keeping native languages and their traditions alive and strives to do so by speaking in her native language of Tachi. In 2018, she was published in the UC Merced Undergraduate Journal with an article about preserving Native American culture amidst modern society.
Cecilia continues to work with programs across California towards the revival and preservation of different Native American cultures and languages. Her family collects materials for cooking, weaving, and medicine to preserve their cultural and community traditions.
Abrahan Ramírez Ramírez is an immigrant from a Guadalupe de Ramirez community in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. Since childhood, Abrahan has striven to improve himself based on the advice of his parents. He learned to value what he has when he has it, and his mother encouraged him to continue educating himself.
His eagerness for self-improvement required courage since he had to leave the town where he was born to attend the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca, where he enrolled in accounting and administration.
In 2018, Abrahan and his wife immigrated to Madera, where he had to adapt to a new society with different laws and systems and a new language. However, he welcomed this new stage of his life, using his knowledge and roots to work in agriculture, construction, and community engagement. This blend of knowledge, experience, passion for art, and community building led him to participate in the ArteVism Fellowship Program of the AFSC Pan Valley Institute.
Natalie Moreno-Aguilar is a non-binary Xicane born and raised in Merced. They have been learning and working alongside young people for six years. Natalie’s focus has been pushing for proactive solutions locally, including affordable housing, access to mental health resources, and youth wellness centers. Natalie plans to plant these seeds within the community through relationships and strategies for fair representation in elected positions. Addressing the root causes of issues people face in the Central Valley and educating young minds on movement building that has been passed down from generations prior is very important to them.
Rodolfo Robles Cruz is a community leader, writer, director, and theatre performance artist native to Morelia, Michoacan, with solid roots in Fresno. He graduated from California State University, Fresno, earning his B.A. in Theatre Arts with a strong interest in philosophy. He is the first in his family to accomplish this. He was a recipient of the Ina Gregg Memorial Theatre Arts Scholarship, chair for the student-run theatre company, and performed in various university productions.
Highlights of Rodolfo’s work in Fresno include various volunteer work with organizations such as the Marjaree Mason Center, where he aided in developing their youth-centered kNOw MORE program. His original play, LA NORTEÑA, which dives into the alienation of identity for the Mexican immigrant community, won best one-act play with region eight of the Kennedy Center’s National Playwriting Program. LA NORTEÑA was a national finalist and has been produced with various theatre companies in the U.S.
In March 2020, alongside other community leaders, he was an organizer and led the press and public relations for Fresno’s Black Lives Matter. The same year, he was a facilitator with the AFSC Pan Valley Institute’s ArteVism Fellowship Program. His current work is to unify the Central Valley theatre communities to increase representation and visibility