Laurie Ignacio

Name: Laurie Ignacio Location: Oakland, CA I work for the internet. I love for the people. Hija del tercer mundo. Check out some work I do at @presenteorg @mosquitaymari @trail2010

A little about me

Over the last two years, I have worked on the front lines of advocacy and new media at Presente.org. You may have seen my online organizing work at BastaDobbs.com or Trail2010.org. I'm excited at the prospect of meeting and collaborating with individuals at Netroots Nation who have a deep commitment to media access and justice for women, communities of color and poor folks.

On the personal side, I’m the daughter of immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico and was born and raised in East Los Angeles. Currently, I live, work and play in the SF Bay Area. I've studied on both coasts and have traveled throughout Mexico and South America and am eager to engaging in transnational and transformative struggles for liberation.

I would describe myself as a

blogger

Why I deserve a Netroots Nation Scholarship

As one of the lead organizers at Presente.org, I've been involved of a number of successful online/offline campaigns that have been rooted in the power of Latin@ communities. Alongside our allies, we successfully took Lou Dobbs off the air at CNN and helped catapult the walkers from the Trail of DREAMs into the national spotlight. I have been honored to serve on these campaigns and am eager to hear about others’ successes and share strategies I’ve picked up along the way. Additionally, I am looking forward to learning from others and to sharing my unique perspectives as one of the few Latinas and women of color in the field of online organizing.

I manage these blogs

Presente.org

The blogs I use most are

Colorlines.com
Democracy Now!

What first inspired me to get involved

I was drawn to organizing as a vehicle to take back our right speak our truth.

As a young person growing up in a working-class, immigrant home I directly experienced the effects of oppressive policies that target people of color and poor folks, yet I have also seen the strong resilience my community has shown in spite of them.

Yet, too often, our stories are edited or erased.

I have found online activism to be a particularly useful tool that can be used to share stories and inspire action among people who witness strength and power in their communities but don't see it reflected back to them in mainstream media.