Conversations with Luis Mata

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Mata

Hi Luis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised by a single mother. We made the difficult, yet courageous decision to leave everything we knew and loved behind for an opportunity at a better life here in TN. I was 4 years old at the time, my mother was 25. We came here because my uncle had started a restaurant here and he needed someone to take over the business. She worked days and nights to ensure our family always had what we needed. I learned English from one of the customers at the restaurant, as they quickly became my best friends.

After some years, I learned I was undocumented. This hit me when my friends were all getting their learner permits and driver licenses and I asked my mom why I was not allowed to do the same. This was the first of many times where I learned that a piece of paper could dictate what I could or could not do in this country, simply based on where I was born. Shortly after, as I was approaching my high school graduation. I faced this reality once again. As I was at my third and final meeting to be awarded with a scholarship, I learned that I was not eligible. This was due to the fact that, based on my immigration status, I did not qualify to receive in-state tuition or federal financial aid here in TN. This is the reality for more than 10,000 students in our state. This is when I knew that I was not going to let a piece of paper dictate my life. We do not exist based on government definitions, we exist because we are here, right now. So, I joined the immigrant rights movement during TN’s “Tuition Equality” campaign, which was an advocacy campaign led by directly-impacted immigrant students who faced the same obstacle of not being able to access higher education based on their immigration status, even if they had graduated from TN public schools, were lawfully allowed to work, and were a part of the community. My fight for justice has not let up since. Knowing that I would have to pay out of pocket at the out-of-state tuition rate, nearly $30K compared to nearly $13K for in-state tuition, I did what I could and worked days and nights in order to afford a single class at the out-of-state rate at my local community college. I did this for 3 years straight. My dream of going to college was not going to be stripped away from me at the hands of anti-immigrant politicians using immigrants for political points.

One day, out of nowhere, I received a call from our immigration attorney. He informed us that the immigration application we had submitted years prior had finally been approved. I became a “Lawful Permanent Resident”, or green card holder. This gave me access to in-state tuition and federal financial aid. I graduated from community college and went on to become a first-generation graduate of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, earning a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. During my time there, I was awarded the Beacon of Change Award, the highest student award conferred to students, for my commitment to creating change in my community and I Co-Founded Students for Migrant Justice, a political home for immigrant students in Knoxville. After graduation, I became the Policy Coordinator for the TN Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, protecting and advancing immigrant and refugee rights at the local, state, and federal level. Shortly after, I became a US Citizen, after more than 20 years. After both the many sacrifices and privileges I had, I decided to run for office because I believe that those closest to the issues should be closest to the solutions and because my mother taught me from an early age that when you want change, you don’t wait for it, you fight for it. I am now the presumptive democratic nominee for TN State House of Representatives, District 49, one of the top flippable seats in the entire state this election cycle.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My advocacy journey did not develop due to one particular instance, it was because mine and my family’s survival depended on it. As they say in Spanish, “La Unión Hace La Fuerza”, or “In Unity There is Strength”. My mother taught me the values of hard work, unity, and resilience from an early age in order to be able to chase the opportunity to thrive in a new country as an immigrant and as a single mother. We faced several obstacles that are all too familiar to Tennesseeans, like living paycheck to paycheck and navigating systems that were never meant for us. But we persevered, we remained united, and we remained strong. That is why I am running, to fight for a more just and equitable TN, so that ALL people are able to truly belong and thrive, regardless of where you come from, who you love, or how much money you make.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For the majority of my professional career, I have worked in policy advocacy.

I began this journey when I worked at the Office of Immigrant Services in Knoxville as the Victims of Crime legal assistant. There, I assisted survivors of criminal activity navigate both the criminal and immigration systems. After this, I became the Policy Coordinator for the TN Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and TIRRC Votes. During my time there I specialized in working with local, state, and federal officials and agencies in passing inclusive policies that centered immigrants and refugees. I also helped move our grassroots electoral efforts to elect champions, up and down the ballot, who would fight for justice in our communities. We ran one of the largest grassroots electoral campaign in the state. One of the many things I am most proud of, was our Professional Licenses campaign in 2022. This was a campaign led by directly-impacted immigrant youth across the state of TN which resulted in passing one of the first pieces of pro-immigrant legislation in TN state history which expanded access to professional licenses and expanded our workforce.

My work has always focused on centering directly-impacted people. What I have witnessed and experienced, is that our best fighters are the people who know what it’s like to be left out and left behind. No one knows best about building power from the ground up than the ones who have historically faced systems designed to keep them under-represented and under-resourced.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I believe that a leader’s priority should always be to create more leaders. That’s one of the pillars driving this campaign. I have been told that I would become the first-ever Latino immigrant state legislator in TN history, but that means nothing if this campaign is not focused on building the infrastructure in order for me not to be the last.

At the core of all things politic, is relationship. This is way more than a campaign, it’s a movement. A movement that we build together. I see our movement reaching people that have historically been left out and showing them that they, too, deserve a seat a the table, that they, too, should be included in the spaces where decisions are being made. I have spent nearly a decade fighting for justice and change and I do not see that stopping any time soon, in campaign mode, as State Representative, and thereafter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://voteluismata.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/voteluismata
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voteluismata
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/voteluismata