Today we’d like to introduce you to Katya Zepeda
Hi Katya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m originally from Mexico City. From a very young age, I was drawn to politics. My earliest memory was hearing my family talk about President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. Seeing and hearing about the impact his presidency and the PRI had on our country. I was only 6 years old.
My family relocated to Northwest Minnesota when I was in 3rd grade. I grew up in a small rural town. Many times being the only person of color in the room. I vividly remember one time in High School during my social studies class, we had a substitute. We were learning about the Executive branch. The sub asked me where I was from, and I said Mexico. He then said, “You could never be President.” I remember feeling upset, angry for being singled out, but more for being told I couldn’t do something. As if I could not be a part of democracy in this country.
Then, when I was 16, CLAC (Chicano Latino Affairs Council) came to our town. I remember being drawn to the energy of Margarita Zalamea, Executive Director. She encouraged me to attend the Chicano Latino Youth Conference they were hosting in St. Paul. It was the first one of its kind in Minnesota.
It was at this conference where we learned how advocacy works. I was hooked and returned the next year as part of the planning committee. This conference gave me the skills and the self-esteem to be active. This passion is what led me to apply for a position in the Youth Advisory Council at the Department of Children, Families and Learning during my senior year. Here I met another wonderful mentor, Commissioner Christine Jax. I was given a platform to speak about the inequities in education. I was even selected to be a presenter at the Minnesota Alliance with Youth Conference.
Twenty years later, I was back in my high school as the Latinx Liaison and realizing that not much had changed when it came to racism and microaggressions being experienced by our students of color. It was disheartening when I wanted to change or implement policies in the district and was met with a “No, we can’t do that. It’s State statue.”
Then, an opportunity opened at the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs (MCLA), formerly known as CLAC to serve as the Legislative and Policy Director in Education. Guess what my first piece of legislation was? The Increase Teachers of Color Act. This bill contained funding for scholarships, policy to attract and retain teacher, but more importantly, it required school districts to address institutional racism in their schools.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been an easy path. Statistically and according to society, I should not be moving in the spaces that I’m in. I came from a mixed status, low income home. Parentification played a big role in my upbringing. Having to be an interpreter/translator for my family and community. Having to code switch and being told to assimilate in order to survive in my community. I never felt safe to truly be myself.
Racial trauma takes a toll on your physical and emotional wellbeing. Being in a space for so long without the proper support system creates challenges others from the dominant community don’t have to face.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I work for the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation as the Director of Advocacy, Community Engagement, and Equity (ACE). Now, more than ever, it is important to have a strong advocacy agenda in order to close the equity gaps that persist in our state. These gaps exist due to systems that have been created or protected by legislation. One way to create a just and vibrant Minnesota is by combining resources and creating advocacy efforts that challenge and dismantle years of systemic oppression. The Foundation recognizes that. This is why I am excited to be a part of this new initiative as the Director of ACE under the Community Impact team. Advocacy should be led by the voices of our communities that have been left out of the conversation. To be “Community Led” also means leading in advocacy work.
While I’ve only been in this position for 2 months, I had to hit the ground running since day one due to the Executive Orders that threatened our work around diversity, equity and inclusion. Ensuring we protect and not overcorrect was important.
I believe my lived experiences and ability to see legislation with an equitable lens have helped me in my career. I am very proud of my Indigenous roots (Mazahua and Mexica) and try to weave my cultural traditions into all aspects of my life and career. This passion led me to work in collaboration with (Neo)Muralismos de Mexico to install the first Dia de Muertos altar at the Capitol, highlighting the oldest continuously celebrated holiday in the Americas. That year, my grandfather had passed and I was unable to go to Mexico to build his altar. This was my way of honoring his memory and continuing my duty as the oldest granddaughter to be the cultural bearer of this tradition.
What matters most to you? Why?
Two things are very important to me, social justice and my cultural identity.
There is an African proverb that guides me, “A river that forgets its source will soon dry out.” As a Mazahua and Mexica indigenous woman, it is important for me to weave my cultural traditions into all aspects of my life. It is what guides my moral compass.
Our collective duty to social justice. There are many disparities in our communities and it can feel daunting. However, if we all did something, however small, to fight hunger, poverty, homelessness, protect our environment, we would create change.
Everyone has the ability to impact their community. My father used say, “They’re little, not dumb” and he taught me to always give from a very young age. Whether that was giving food or change to people on the street, leaving books we were done reading on a light post for others to read or being kind to the street dogs of Mexico.
Once, we moved to the US and my mother became a single parent, she continued that message. She would provide a roof for those that needed a temporary place, she would direct them to resources. She went on to get her masters in Social Work and taught me the impact mental health had on our quality of life. This led me to pursue my degree in Organizational Psychology.
Contact Info:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katya-zepeda-
- Other: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/10/28/capitol-will-host-observance-of-dia-de-los-muertos
