Photo: Lizbeth visiting Moray, an Incan archaeological site in Peru.
“The people who I call my community are folks who are immigrants,” shares Lizbeth Rivera Estrada (she/her/they/them) as she details the journey that led to finding a strong sense of place in Central Washington. Born in Mexico, Lizbeth’s family decided to move to the United States and made their home in the Wenatchee valley.
Lizbeth lights up at memories of joining her father in the cherry orchards when she and her older sister were kids, describing how they’d spend time in the fields while he worked. Lizbeth’s parents made sure she and her siblings understood what it meant to be undocumented in the United States. Her parents openly talked about their status at home and her mother was especially proactive in taking the family to protests and rallies in support of immigrant rights.
But leaving home every day to go to school was a different story.
Growing up in a place where mainstream sentiments were often disparaging and dismissive of immigrants created tensions for Lizbeth as they navigated their education as an undocumented student of color. She knew peers who were undocumented or who were DACA recipients, but too often their lack of status was treated as something to be ashamed of or hidden. A turning point emerged for Lizbeth in high school when they began volunteering with organizations across North Central Washington that held events centered on immigrant rights.
“In high school, I started being less afraid of my status, or my lack of status,” Lizbeth says. As she grew more involved with local grassroots efforts organizing to support immigrants, it led to genuine curiosity about happenings in their neighborhood. She talked to people about what was going on in the area and attended city council meetings to hear what was in the works.
When concerns around deportation and immigration status surged after the 2016 presidential election, Lizbeth and other volunteers met with community organizations, faith leaders, immigration attorneys, and concerned residents to strategize how to maintain basic human rights for people. This experience helped to broaden their understanding of connectivity and collective liberation among immigrants from different backgrounds. “I was able to find more resources and to be connected to this wider network of support for immigrants that exists in Washington state,” Lizbeth says.
In their work, Lizbeth has always been committed to building relationships and cultivating trust. She comes to Inatai with a background working with community-led organizations like Parque Padrinos, where they mobilized Wenatchee residents to remodel a park in their predominantly Latino neighborhood, The Washington Bus, where they worked as a Leadership Development Manager, and Columbia Legal Services, where she served as an Advocacy and Community Engagement Specialist. As program associate for the foundation’s Strategy & Impact team, Lizbeth looks forward to making connections within and outside of the foundation. She will work closely with Senior Program Officers to ensure grantee organizations have the targeted support necessary to build on their work.
When it comes to how she imagines forging partnerships in her new role, she’s eager to dive into the work the Inatai Way. “What I am looking forward to is being able to be a support person and I’m really excited to learn from communities across Washington.”
As someone who appreciates the people and landscape of Chelan County, Lizbeth is also eager to share her love for her communities in Central Washington and the wonders it has to offer. “This is home. It’s beautiful and has a lot going on.” Lizbeth’s reflections on her path to Inatai lead back to the sense of kinship and gratitude she has for immigrant families across the state. “Growing up in Central Washington, I saw a lot of families working together during the summers. I’m carrying that community with me everywhere I go.”
