More than 1,000 Santa Maria High School students attend Indigenous People’s Day Presentation

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – More than 1,000 students who are taking Ethnic and Gender Studies courses at Santa Maria High School (SMHS) attended a presentation for Indigenous People's Day, according to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.

The district said this presentation was about Migrant Indigenous Communities along the Central Coast.

The event featured two SMHS alums: Leo Ortega (Tequio Youth Program Coordinator) and Saul Martinez (Immigration Outreach and Education Specialist)

Leo Ortega said "Our goal is to empower and recognize migrant indigenous students at SMHS. We endeavor to do so by: (1) Increasing awareness of cultural differences amongst the Latinx community and the migrant Indigenous community. (2) Promote cultural pride for migrant Indigenous students who come from Mixtec, Zapotec, and Triqui communities from the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, Mexico. (3) Provide resources to students such as the Tequio Youth Program, which is dedicated to helping students develop leadership skills, promote Indigenous pride, encourage academic achievement, and advocate against discrimination of Indigenous Youth.”

Ricardo Valencia, who teaches the Ethnic and Gender Studies at SMHS, said "MICOP is doing exceptional work to ensure that our indigenous students and families receive the respect and resources that they deserve. I encourage all schools, non-profits, and community organizations to partner with them to learn about the needs of indigenous people from the experts themselves."