Soudi Jiménez Visits SMC to Discuss the Immigrant Experience in Los Angeles
Soudi Jiménez spoke about the immigrant experience in Los Angeles at Santa Monica College on Thursday, Sept. 25.
“This lecture is about the other Los Angeles,” said Soudi Jiménez, an award-winning journalist and author of “Ecos Migrantes.” The “other” he referred to is the immigrant side of the city, which makes up 55.2% of Los Angeles County’s population of 10 million people, an identity many Santa Monica College (SMC) students share.
The discussion began with a quotation from Maya Angelou: “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” The idea of understanding one’s background set the tone for the lecture.
“The immigrant community is the heart of Los Angeles,” Jiménez said. “The immigrant community is the heart of the U.S.”
Immigrants contribute heavily to the U.S. economy. According to the American Immigration Council, undocumented immigrants paid $89.8 billion in federal taxes in 2023. One in four U.S. entrepreneurs are immigrants, and immigrants or their children founded 46% of Fortune 500 companies.
The American Business Immigration Coalition has also found that mass deportations could cost between $30 billion and $60 billion in agricultural production, threatening the nation’s food economy.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-mass-deportation-farmers-1987371
Civil wars, political assassinations, and authoritarian governments in Central America have been catalysts for large waves of immigration to Los Angeles. These waves of immigration have created neighborhoods rich in Latin American heritage.
For instance, the Salvadoran Corridor on Vermont Avenue contains more than 95 Salvadoran-owned businesses. The Peruvian Village, located on Vine Street, was officially recognized by the city of Los Angeles in 2012. The Mayan Corridor, on Sixth Street, is home to more than 120 businesses, with “90% of owners being Guatemalan Mayan immigrants,” Jiménez said.
“Designated cultural space in L.A. is the result of cultural resilience,” Jiménez said.
That resilience is visible in immigrant-owned businesses, such as Mario’s Peruvian Restaurant, once frequented by Al Pacino, and Inca’s, Los Angeles’ first Peruvian restaurant, founded by Gabriel Garcia Mendez, with clientele including actor John Wayne and former Los Angeles Mayor, Tom Bradley.
Students may live in one of these areas, nurtured by immigrants who feed the community dishes such as lomo saltado, carne asada and tamales. Some students may share heritage represented in Mariachi Plaza, Plaza de Cultura y Artes or the Museum of Latin American Art. These neighborhoods are shaped not only by food and culture but also by landmarks and public figures that reflect the immigrant journey and roots tied to these communities.
Public statues, such as St. Óscar Romero’s in MacArthur Park, symbolize the history of immigrants who fled political violence in Central America. Romero, a former Archbishop, was assassinated by a far-right nationalist group (ARENA) in El Salvador for his activism and criticism against the El Salvadoran government’s human rights abuses on March 24, 1980. Advocacy gave rise to human rights organizations such as El Rescate, Asosal, and Carecen, which provide immigration support and legal counsel.
People’s efforts continue as community members campaign in hopes of establishing a Central American quarter in Los Angeles.
SMC Latin History professor, Ricardo Garcia echoes the importance of inclusivity “Sometimes we do feel in-between communities,” he said. “Especially Central Americans, here there's definitely a very dominant Mexican community, and sometimes Central Americans adopt the way we speak because they have to, but they also have to have their own spaces.”
During Hispanic Heritage Month, these lectures on the cultural experience, establishments, and landmarks invite discernment on the survival stories of immigrant communities. “This job allows me to write about the history of our community and share it with the next generation,” Jiménez said.
Part of that generation is represented here at SMC. Rebecca Alexman an SMC student, reflected on the lecture led by Jiménez: “Growing up in a big Mexican community, a lot of this covered things I already knew, but also so much I didn’t,” Alexman said, “I’m also Peruvian, and I feel like I never see Peruvians anywhere. Seeing this felt like a part of me was represented.”
Garcia highlights the value in connection. “Young people have to unite, they have to work together to change, to force change,” said Garcia. “Be aware of different audiences out there that are willing to support you, and just network. That's one thing I wish I knew, talking to different people, listening to their stories and then contributing your own.”
Alexman believes conversations like these are essential. “I think it’s necessary because it raises awareness about the struggles immigrant and Latin communities face in Los Angeles,” Alexman said. “It also normalizes the conversation and gives people who aren’t Hispanic or Latino insight into the issues. A lot of the time, besides outright bigotry, fear keeps people from engaging with other communities. This invites people in, and that’s a good place to start.”
Jiménez closed with a reminder of the importance of dialogue and legacy. He emphasized that learning the history of the immigrant community allows us to let go of any misconceptions.
“Sometimes we have opinions about a specific community without the full picture,” Jiménez said. “The more we understand each other, the more we see why people fight for a place in this city. It’s for the next generation. We care about fairness, and we care about legacy.”