Currently pushing back against Senate Bill 4, Damaris is extremely passionate about standing up for her community, knowing that the passage of the bill (which may be signed by the governor any day this week), will have immediate ramifications on the undocumented community, since it calls for local police to act as ICE.

Damaris has first hand experience growing up in the shadows, in fear that her parents might not return the next day. She speaks to me about experiencing discrimination in church because of her family’s status from other Hispanic American kids - the discrimination got so bad that she stopped going.

“I became an adult at 15” - Damaris talks to me about several challenges she’s faced, including not being able to finish her degree because of a family member’s ailment, along with a personal loss that led her to her current activism work: she’s pushing through and surviving with all her might.

She talks about how most of her extended family is more conservative, which poses an additional challenge for her - and how faith plays a big role in her family’s beliefs and her own beliefs - incredibly interesting.

She makes a passionate plea for more Spanish speaking folks and US born citizens from the local community to join the efforts in marching, protesting, and testifying - she’s working on outreach to get more voices involved.