I met Nativo Lopez when I was 15 years old and I’m going to turn 30. I met him in the movement. I started working with Nativo and Al Rojas as in 2005. We worked together to pass legislature like AB 540. With AB 540 students have the right to attend college in California and pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
We also worked to support legislation such as the California Dream Act and support migrant communities. Nativo was one of the organizers for agricultural workers in San Quentin, Baja California
He was intelligent. He taught me the importance of reading and writing and learning. He had ideas and he struggled to make them come true.
When he would see that I was being out of character, he would say to me, “Fatima, concentrate and focus on the message.”
He guided me, giving me constructive criticism. But he also helped me do things. He used to say to me, “Do not ever forget that you’re a chingona and you can do the impossible.”
“Do not mourn organize!” is his message for everyone, especially the young people because for him we were the future.
