ALAS director invited to presidential address

Author: Staff Report

Published: February 2, 2023

Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga of ALAS waves to people as they arrive to the ALAS Open House in 2020. Adam Pardee / Review

On Tuesday, Ayudando Latinos a Soñar founder and executive director Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga will attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C. Arriaga was invited by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, whose congressional district includes the Coastside.

Arriaga and her Half Moon Bay-based team have been among those taking the lead in getting help for victims of the Jan. 23 mass shooting of seven farmworkers on the coast. ALAS has also become a force more generally in highlighting the plight of local farmworkers in San Mateo County.

“I am honored and thankful to Congresswoman Eshoo for this invitation to this historic occasion,” said Hernandez-Arriaga in a prepared release. “I look forward to hearing from President Biden on his vision for our country, and that must include a call to action to improve the lives of our farmworkers.

“This is an opportunity for a national dialogue for how a farmworker with low wages, lack of mental health support and inhumane living conditions devolved to orchestrate a mass shooting," she continued. "This attention is long overdue for a workforce that has operated in the shadows for generations.”

Hernandez-Arriaga will be in attendance with other notable invitees including Brandon Tsay, the hero from the Monterey Park Mass Shooting.

Source: https://www.hmbreview.com/alas-director-invited-to-presidential-address/article_7f8fc22c-a32e-11ed-a665-87a7c28b84e9.html