Hermelinda Cortes is the daughter of an immigrant father and a white factory-workinʼ mama. Raised on a small farm amidst the Southern delicacies of potato salad and mole, she is a working class Xicana Queer Feminist from the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Brought up between two seemingly different worlds, she has a special interest in building bridges between communities including second language learning, and food and health justice issues in LGBTQ, working people, and people of color communities.
Currently she is a Field Organizer in Virginia for Southerners On New Ground, (SONG) a grassroots political home in the South working towards liberation across all lines of race, class, gender, sexuality, culture, age, ability, and geography. She also sits on the Programming Committee at the Wayside Center for Popular Education, a popular education center and healing zone for the movement located in the beautiful foothills of Faber, Virginia.
She has previously organized with Students for a Democratic Society, the People United, 97.3 LPFM WRIR Independent Radio, and the Flying Brick Library. When sheʼs not organizing she has a penchant for writing, reading theory, gardening, and cooking. Currently living in Richmond, VA, she dreams of one day returning to the mountains of Virginia to build a cob house with the future love of her life, grow food, and cuddle with her furry friends , Manuel, Chavo, and Piper.
