Maria Diaz moved from Los Angeles to Willmar, Minn., in search of a better life for her and her young daughter. Though Latinos have been migrant workers in west-central Minnesota for years, most didn’t settle in the area. But Diaz came with the mindset that she would make Willmar her family’s permanent home, so she sought out other Latinos and started building a community with them.
For the past 15 years Diaz has worked to unite Latinos in Willmar while also navigating an area with few resources for immigrants. A native of Morelos, Mexico, Diaz also worked for Jennie-O Turkey Store, learned English, and earned her GED. As her daughter entered the school system, Diaz took a job advocating for her and other Latino students.
Today Diaz is a community organizer for the West Central Integration Collaborative Raices project, a four-state effort to build community for rural Latinos. She also has served as a Willmar community health outreach worker, as a retention coordinator in the public schools, and as an interpreter for Latinos in the legal system and health care field.
Diaz works successfully with immigrants by calling on some of her own experiences. She’s pleased that the Willmar area has come a long way since her first years as an immigrant. “Willmar has become a community that is more united and I know I helped a little bit,” she says. “Willmar is changing and we are embracing the local culture and keeping our own culture. I had something to do with that, and that makes me really proud.”
To give back Diaz volunteers at her church and for organizations like the Kandiyohi Teen Pregnancy Coalition, the Willmar Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and Pueblo Lindo, a folklorico dance group. She loves nothing more than traveling to the mountains of the United States and Mexico, where she unwinds and relaxes at least once a year.
