Juana Trejo (2017)
Diverse Community Leader Award Honoree
Juana Trejo (Costa Mesa)
Juana Trejo is a powerful woman who believes in speaking her mind. She is a Mexican immigrant who puts her faith into action by tirelessly being the voice, and highlighting the needs, of her community in Costa Mesa. For years as a leader in the Mesa Del Mar neighborhood, she has helped organize neighborhood cleanups, immigration “Know Your Rights” forums, and local fundraisers for those in need. Juana has worked with her neighbors and in partnership with St. John the Baptist Church and The Crossing Church in Costa Mesa.
On countless occasions she has spoken on behalf of her neighborhood with city officials, bridging the gap between her low-income community and the City. She has spoken at city council meetings and met with city council members, code enforcement officers and police officials about community concerns such as neighborhood safety. But Juana knows she can’t do it all alone, so she also helps train other leaders. Through her work with the Orange County Congregation Community Organization, she has helped train dozens of leaders in her community in leadership skills.
Juana’s work for justice does not stop in Costa Mesa. She has participated in meetings with state legislators in Sacramento to support health care for the undocumented and to promote restorative justice practices in her community.
In recent years Juana has also been a strong champion of the immigrant vote. With the understanding that there are many barriers to voting in her community, she has made countless phone calls to the low-income immigrant voter to encourage them to vote. She also has worked on propositions to support funding for public schools and health care and to end mass incarceration.
Juana takes great pride in the fact that the overwhelming amount of her community work is done on a volunteer basis.
About the Award
Our annual Diverse Community Leaders Award honors individuals and groups who have made extraordinary contributions to Orange County in human or civil rights.
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