A moment of truth arrived for Undocumedia as its coordinator Karla Estrada Sanchez revealed information about the years of misbehavior that its joint-founder Ivan Ceja instigated. After the revelation of Sanchez, other companies and victims shared their stories of being alongside or collaborating with Ceja, which reinforced her original accusations.
For the uninitiated, Undocumedia is aimed at empowering the undocumented US immigrant community through social media. Justino Mora and Ceja started Undocumedia in 2012, and it advocated for not just the immigration-related DREAMer narrative but also undocumented organizations. It now has a strong presence in the said community.
Accusations of him being misogynistic forced Ceja to step down. Anti-blackness still has a relevant lesson for everyone; being involved in social justice campaigns and occupying a powerful position in a company is no excuse to behave obstructively to others in the path to equality and liberation.
For many who are in Orange County’s organizing circles, the situation resonated profoundly and was treated seriously. A heteropatriarchal culture that elicits anti-black views and gender violence has been vulnerable under these circumstances always. Former organizers were tainted due to it.
Many who are new to such organizing spaces continue to learn how to maneuver these alongside the various personalities they meet. It is fascinating to know how people and organizations are united yet divisive with regard to tackling gender violence, anti-black views, homophobia, and their ill-conceived ideas regarding each other. The above-mentioned are treated in the form of secondary topics, which would eventually be forgotten or would disappear until the resolution of white supremacy, police brutality and other ‘true’ issues.
Many people have been deeply hurt due to this treatment. People are scared of speaking out on some issues that are considered minuscule as compared to others that they attempt to oppose. They do not seriously tackle all the other factors they face when trying to reach their organizational objectives, fearing whether they would degrade the endurance of their struggles.
Political activist Angela Davis said that empowerment, as a process, could not be defined simplistically and according to our specific class interests. As for Davis, humans must try to lift as they climb. However much activists champion immigrant rights and social justice, they are not immune to homophobia, racism, anti-blackness, transphobia and other behavior that contradicts their values to reduce those ills.
So, many wondered what any Orange County immigrant justice group or other groups could do in this regard. They could hold themselves accountable, particularly as people actively refuse to be transparent. People who are familiar with this conduct and lack active knowledge of their harmful deeds encourage the development of toxicity in their circles. Accountability is not just about copping to allegations, but it also resembles a quality of being committed to strategy for a long time. There is no need for one to actively look for organizers who have perverse attitudes. The organizers would reveal who they are whenever they deny allegations, do not apologize and incite conflicts with the colleagues in their organizers.
In the event of these destructive kinds of behavior being displayed, then they would be held accountable. While people could make mistakes, others should expect them to not only take responsibility for their deeds but also avoid repeating those actions.
Advocacy circle members must remind themselves that they own their organizational values yet should recognize the human characteristics of their movements. They hail from different positions in society with different stories as well as experiences that are not specific to a single border. They share space, while harnessing a collective capacity to progress together and relieve each other’s distressing experiences rather than seeing themselves as threats to one another.
Organizing circles in California, which include Orange County Immigrant Youth United, should keep coming together and using their voices to remove doubt from a troublesome situation and share their truths in the struggle.
