Vanesa Ortiz is a migrant rights champion and a progressive powerhouse. Her longstanding commitment to justice underlies everything she does as a parent, educator, community organizer, and activist.

Vanesa is a founding member of The Association of Mexicans in Calgary, a grassroots, non-profit organization that provides mutual aid to the Mexican community and migrant workers in the Calgary area, connects community members, and resources them with support and services.

She has worked with the Migrant Rights Film Festival, which amplifies and honours the stories of migrants in Canada and the integral role they have in this country.

Vanesa’s lived experience as a working-class immigrant charges her to consistently seek out voices that have been forgotten, overlooked, and marginalized.

Not content to solely lift up individual voices, however, she also works tirelessly to build the social and political structures that will support future generations to overcome historical and present injustice.

She believes change happens when we join together as families, neighborhoods, and communities and is prepared to do what’s needed to make that happen.