Melissa Torres

Name, age, occupation:

Dra. Melissa Irene Maldonado Torres - Researcher, Advocate, Human Rights Defender

Social Media:

Facebook: @melissaimtorres  Instagram: @mimtorres

Why did you select your social justice icon?

La Comandanta Ramona is a revolutionary in every sense of the word. She helped lead the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional's (EZLN) autonomous Indigenous revolution in the face of transnational corporations and government suppression during a time when she was fighting her own health battles. Her discourse served as a lesson for justice and representation for the long marginalized Indigenous, the impoverished, and for women. Her leadership and passion helped to make her the first Zapatista given an audience with the Mexican government for peace talks. She believed and exemplified the EZLNG practice of investing in leadership and not in leaders while always keeping the most historically ostracized at the forefront.

Do you have a favorite quote from your social justice icon?

"Llegamos hasta aquí para gritar, junto con todos, los ya no, que nunca más un México sin nosotros."

If you were stranded on a desert island with your social justice icon, what is the one question you would ask them?

How do we best include even the most difficult opponents in a collective discussion of justice and peace?

Are there any books, documentaries, films, articles, etc that you would recommend for others to learn more about the work of your social justice icon?

Documentary: Zapatista; A Place Called Chiapas

Book: The Fire and the Word: A History of the Zapatista Movement

Interview: Do Not Leave Us Alone!, Interview with Comandante Ramona

What social, racial, economic, or political justice issue does your work address?

My research and advocacy agenda is the human rights of displaced persons in the Americas with a focus on human trafficking and border demilitarization. I work to address the exploitation of rights violations which cause vulnerability in already marginalized populations, especially in my own community of those from Latin America and its diaspora.

When did you first become aware of/interested in working on your social justice issue? 

I came across a trafficking ring when I was working as an HIV tester in Houston. I was about 25 years old. The community trusted me enough to let me in their spaces and show me what was going on, how it happened, and shared why they felt it was happening. Then I realized that I grew up around so much similar exploitation along the border, but we didn't have the language for it or the rights-based understanding behind it. We're still not there yet. I've been committed to learning and unlearning as I address the issue ever since.

If you could have everyone in the world do one tangible thing to help advance the cause of the issue you work on,  what would it be?

Prioritize the wellness, dignity, and welfare of our communities by defunding carceral and militarized responses to poverty, survival, and injustice. Fighting on behalf of workers rather than corporations and industrial complexes is one example of this.

Can you describe the biggest accomplishment/most gratifying moment you've had working on your issue to date?

There are so many, but one thing I always think about is that when I came across that first trafficking ring, I didn't know enough to offer help. Years later, when I was working on a study about the issue, I interviewed a woman working at one of the clubs I had been in and she turned out to be one of the women I had tested. I found out that not long after, the club was busted and the victims were offered help. I was so relieved to hear that it wasn't still happening. Later on, I was able to interview more of them and use that information to inform policies, trainings, and further research.

 

 

 

Who or what gives you the hope and motivation to keep going when you feel fear or doubt about achieving justice?

My mami. She would tell me that one person can't change the entire world so it's vital to educate others so the burden doesn't fall on just one. She was there and she understood when I stopped crying out of hopelessness and started getting angry and she would help me talk through how to redirect that anger.

Who or what else inspires your work?

I learn so much from the communities I work in and with. They've shown me how issues that seemed so black and white have a lot of grey that needs to be worked through and that the answers we've historically been given have to be questioned as we evolve.

What advice do you have for those who care about social justice but don't know how or where to begin? This could be related to the issue you work on or even in general?

Volunteer. If there's an issue that gets you going, take the time to be with the most impacted communities and listen to what they are saying and what the decision makers aren't saying. It doesn't have to be structured volunteering at an organization - offer to do something for someone affected by injustice or go to a march and listen. Take the time to listen and learn how you can best contribute to the fight.

 

FUN FACTS

 

What are some of your hobbies? What do you do for fun?

Volunteer. If there's an issue that gets you going, take the time to be with the most impacted communities and listen to what they are saying and what the decision-makers aren't saying. It doesn't have to be structured volunteering at an organization - offers to do something for someone affected by injustice or go to a march and listen. Take the time to listen and learn how you can best contribute to the fight.

What are some of your favorite social justice-related things? 

When I'm writing, before I teach a class, do a training, give a presentation, or testify, I always have a playlist on that gets me going. It includes Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, Rubén Blades, Pearl Jam, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Santa Cecilia, Bob Dylan, Midnight Oil, Molotov, and Bob Marley. On long drives, I listen to my favorite podcasts: Ear Hustle, Radio Ambulante, Code Switch, Politically Re-Active, and Declarations.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I can pretty much recite every Golden Girls episode verbatim.