In Los Angeles, one’s language can make the difference between life and death. Take the tragic killing of Manuel Jaminez Xum, a Guatemalan day laborer and speaker of the Indigenous K’iche’ language, who was shot by LAPD officers when he didn’t respond to commands in English and Spanish. His story resonated deeply with Odilia Romero, co-founder of CIELO (Communidades Indigenas en Liderazgo), the women-led organization she founded with her daughter Janet Martinez in 2016 with a mission to advocate for the rights and visibility of Indigenous language speakers in Los Angeles. Odilia, who was born in the highlands of Oaxaca and migrated to Los Angeles at age 10 as a monolingual Zapotec speaker, experienced overwhelming ignorance around her identity growing up. From a young age, she remembers being called upon to serve as an interpreter for fellow Zapotec speakers in her community. Her experiences opened her eyes to the lack of interpreter services for Indigenous language speakers. These experiences led her to become the social justice and language advocate she is today.

More than a dozen Indigenous languages from Mexico and Central America are spoken on the streets of Los Angeles, yet the people that speak them disappear into the general Latine population, with their cultural and linguistic needs ignored and access to essential resources and rights severely limited. CIELO works to bridge this gap by providing tangible resources and raising awareness about the rich tapestry of Indigenous communities in Los Angeles. Their work includes cultural awareness trainings designed to help bridge linguistic and cultural barriers between law enforcement and Indigenous speakers; the Indigenous Literature Conference, which uplifts literary and performance art by BIPOC communities and serves to promote and revitalize Indigenous languages; and the National Indigenous Interpreters Conference, which provides professional development through workshops and networking for Indigenous language interpreters nationwide. As a mother-daughter team, Odilia and Janet are highly influential Indigenous activists who lead with passion and deep care for their community and its diverse cultures.