Today we’d like to introduce you to Rocío Villalobos.
Hi Rocío, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
For over 15 years, I have been involved in social justice work in Austin, covering education, immigration, and the outdoors/ environment. My transnational childhood shaped my understanding of community, family, migration, inequity, and borders, all of which led me to my current position as the Immigrant Affairs Manager with the City of Austin’s Equity Office.
I am the co-founder of Native Roots ATX, a running and wellness crew based in Austin, TX that’s focused on creating a welcoming and supportive space where we can redefine wellness as something that happens collectively and in the community. I also volunteer my time as a Mentor with Explore Austin, a board member at Ecology Action of Texas, and as a local ambassador for the 52 Hike Challenge and Women Who Explore.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Our environments influence the way we see ourselves and the role we can play in our community. As a child, I walked by the oil tank farms that were once located on Airport and Springdale in East Austin without knowing what they were. For me, the oil tank farms were just a part of the landscape that I took in on my way to school, much like the trees and the vacant lots and the “We Buy Ugly Houses” signs that peppered the streets. Before East Austin became trendy and valuable, it was a repository for undesirable people and undesirable industries. Not much was expected from us, so our lives were expendable.
After getting involved with PODER (People Organized in the Defense of Earth and her Resources) during my second year at UT, I learned that the oil tank farms I walked by as a child had poisoned the community surrounding the tank farms, causing people to develop cancer, respiratory illnesses, and other diseases. Environmental racism claimed the lives of people in East Austin. People outside of my community decided that our lives and our health were insignificant and that placing toxic industries next to homes, schools, and places of worship was acceptable. PODER helped light a fire inside of me at a critical point in my life. The education that I obtained through PODER helped me find my sense of purpose. I decided that I would not let someone else make decisions about my future and my community and my well-being; I wanted to do what was in my reach to get involved and make a difference for myself and for my community. But I could only make a difference if I lived and I was at a point where I wanted to die.
I struggled with depression as a child and that depression worsened as I got older. A black hole of depression almost consumed me after my first year at UT when I developed an eating disorder. When I would go to sleep I wished that I wouldn’t wake up because seeing another day felt like torture. I felt worthless, in part because that’s the lie that depression forces you to believe, but those feelings were compounded by the years of messages I received in my community and in my schools about my worth as a woman of color. When I was finally ready to ask for help, I searched online for resources and learned that eating disorders only happened to white and wealthy girls. I was neither. When I sought out group counseling services because they were more affordable, I spent many sessions explaining race and racism to the white people in my group. In order to heal, I had to piece together my own healing outside of medical institutions.
Community involvement and reconnecting with the land as a Xicana Indigenous woman saved my life. For me, healing meant learning about my family history so that I could feel pride instead of shame. Though I can’t trace my ancestral lineage in a precise way, I feel held and supported by my ancestors and I know their resilience and courage lives in me. Healing has also meant reconnecting with the land through running and outdoor adventures. Walks and runs along Town Lake have served as my therapy. That connection is critical for me, especially at a time when I can’t define what home is. The East Austin that I knew no longer feels like home, and I can’t point to the specific region that my ancestors called home in what is now Mexico. But when I’m running and hiking outside, that feels like home.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the heart of my work is a love for people and justice. Although I’ve done work in various fields, it’s all guided by a vision for social justice and racial equity. I bring that lens to everything I do, including running! After experiencing the whiteness of Austin’s running culture, a friend and I co-founded a running and wellness crew called Native Roots ATX. We host monthly meetups and our goal is to build community as we redefine wellness.
What matters most to you?
It’s hard to pick just one thing. Family, community, joy, justice…all are incredibly important to me. I see them as being intertwined and in conversation with each other. Family and community are important to me because that’s what helps me feel grounded – a love for my family and community is why I do what I do. And I recognize that my family and my community have experienced injustices that robbed us of safety and joy. We deserve justice and we deserve to experience joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/thexicanaexplorer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thexicanaexplorer/
