Amelia Garza (1937-2003) was an advocate for migrant workers in the Yakima Valley. She sat on the Grandview City Council for 13 years and was the first Latina to serve on the council. Garza also founded many community organizations in the Valley to assist residents with health services, education, and literacy. She focused her activism on the needs of people around her - applying for grants to a childcare program, setting up a meals program for schoolchildren during the summer, working with high school students to improve grades and explore college opportunities, starting an alternative school, and helping neighbors with clothes or food. Garza became involved with the state's Democratic party to encourage more Latino/as in Washington to vote. She served as one of Washington's three representatives on the Democratic National Committee and in 2002 was given a lifetime achievement award by the party.

This image shows Amelia Garza in 1992, during her time on the Grandview City Council. She was photographed during an interviewed with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about the growing influence of Latino/a voters on presidential elections.

Caption information source: "Amelia Garza, pioneer in aiding farm families," by Michael Ko, Seattle Times, August 20, 2003, retrieved from https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030820&slug=garzaobit20m.